Descendant
by halisme
Summary: Ch20 .War is coming. Thirty years have passed since the death of the fourth Overlord, and his daughter has finally taken her rightful place. With the monsters made in the last war, and minions, the odds seem stacked in her favour. Until a new weapon is revealed.
1. Prologue

Gnarl watched through the scrying orb as Rose stood by the Overlords body. He didn't know who the man with Rose was, apparently some lord of something or other called to be a champion of good. He was glad that the Overlord had died, he'd become for too complacent, only venturing out of the tower when he was tired of Fay's nagging, although even Gnarl had to admit, she had become a lot crankier than usual. He let out a sigh and walked to the library, giving the other minions a slight nod as he passed. The door gave out a creak as it swung open slowly and Gnarl started flicking the cobwebs from the black wooden shelves, cursing under his breath for allowing the greens to keep their spiders in here. Gnarl reached through a gap between two scrolls and pulled out a small, rolled up piece of parchment, about as thick as his bony arm. He rolled his eyes and went to the throne room. Fay was sat there lounging in the seat reserved for the overlord.

"You should not be sat there, mistress" Gnarl added at the last second.

"Why? There is no overlord to sit here, so I shall, anyway what is it you have there?" She pointed to the scroll."

"It is the overlords will."

"The fool accepted his death the day he wrote that thing."

"Anyway, I think you shall want to hear this."

"Why are you no longer addressing me as Mistress, Gnarl? Did you forget your place? Remember what happened to the last time the minions rebelled?" Fay gave the sly smile that usually accompanies lightly veiled threats.

"If the blue's had been allowed to return then the overlord may have survived, and with his death he cannot have a mistress, I am no longer tied to his or your service or any others and telling you what his will states merely out of courtesy."

"Get on with it then." Fay spat.

"The will states ... two seconds, need to skip past all the unimportant parts." Gnarl unravelled the scroll the bottom reaching the floor. "Ah, here it is" Gnarl cleared his throat, "My title, lands and all possessions are all left to my unborn son unless my death is due to mysterious circumstance, my mistress may reside in the tower until the child is sixteen and then her fate will be decided by him." Gnarl gave a slight towards the elf's swollen belly and then his eyes moved upwards to where her breasts had swelled...

"I swear, if you continue starring I will rip out your entrails and feed them to the salamanders." Gnarl shook his head and wiped drool from his chin. "That was all it said? What else could he have written to take up that much room?"

"It is a twelve verse poem saying how large and annoying you became and cursing the length of elven pregnancy. It begins" Gnarl cleared his throat again. "Rounder than an elven priestess, larger than the devourer, your nagging ..."

"Shut up Gnarl." A blue light shot out of Fay's hand hitting the ground next to Gnarl and leaving a small crater in the obsidian floor.

"I always preferred mistress Kelda; she didn't try to kill me and gave me a scratch behind the ear every now and then."

"It's too bad she somehow fell over the balcony then isn't it."

"Yes and the same happened to the minions that the overlord had look into her death."

"If the area's unsafe then maybe it should be closed off, although the view is brilliant, maybe you should spend some time admiring it" Fay tilted her head and gave another smile.

"I doubt you'd be able to reach around that stomach" Gnarl whispered under his breath.

"What was that Gnarl? I'd hate to think you were saying nasty things about me."

"My apologise I have a cough at the moment." Gnarl spluttered at the end, trying to add to the affect.

"That's what I thought, I hope you feel better soon, I'd hate for you to die in your bed."

"As would I, Fay, as would I."

* * *

Gnarl held the child in his arms, when told that it was a daughter Fay had refused to even look at her and ordered it be abandoned, it had been twelve years since he had read the overlord's will and like him, he now cursed the length of elven pregnancy. The girl's skin may not have been purely blue like her father's, but there was still a slight tinge on her pale skin and the narrow, vine like patterns that ran down her arms as well as the slight amber tinge in her eyes that contrasted with the rest of her grey pupils. He placed the child on the ground of the jungle and there was only one thing he could be certain of, the next overlord would be interesting, very interesting.

* * *

Baleon looked at the chess board, his advisor was playing well, he'd never understood how this was meant to help in battle, you couldn't move one platoon at a time and horsemen could move in any direction and bishops didn't fight and castles didn't move. "Are you sure this will work" he said, his voice accompanied by a slight click as he moved one of the ivory pieces across the board.

Rose gave a faint smile "You need to show the more magically attuned species that we wish to friends, marrying your son to the elf girl Crasius found should help, and the fact she was raised among your nobility should stop the other nobles from complaining."

"She's barely a year old, we shouldn't be playing with the Child's life while she still suckling on her mother."

Rose gave out a sigh. "When I helped you defeat the overlord thirteen years ago did I ever give a piece of bad advice?"

"No"

"This is the best solution, we've already befriended the dwarfs, picture it, the entire world united in a single day."

"But what if the overlord returns, we're spending so much on building that we won't have enough to fortify."

"Assuming the new one was born the very instant the old one was slain, there's five years till he's eighteen and only then will he be a threat and even then, we decimated the minions so he'll need to build up their numbers, hopefully by then I'll have found him."

"What is it, two days till you leave?"

Rose gave a slight nod "I'll start at Nordberg, that was where the last was born and I'll work my way south from there."

"If we receive news of him I'll have it sent to you."

"See that you do, and checkmate."


	2. chapter 1 - Introductions

Lo gave out a slight whimper as tears ran down her face. The fall had broken one of her right ankle, wrist and a few ribs. Her father had told her not to play around the well but she hadn't listened and now she was here, trapped alone in the dark. A stone fell from the well above her, thinking someone might have caused it come loose, she glanced up, hoping that someone was here to rescue her, but there was nothing, no knignt in shining armour like in the stories she had read, just the inky blackness and the streaks of sunlight that broke through the plants that had overgrown that part of the garden. She gave out another sob and cried for help but no one answered her call. She cried out again. Nothing. She tried to pull herself up with her good arm but gave out a slight whimper as she lost her grip on the wet stone and her other hand smashed against it. She started crying again before feeling a slimy hand on her knee.

She recoiled slightly at first but then moved to get a closer look. "What are you?" She asked the small blue creature.

"Me minion, you need help yes?" It asked before grabbing her wrist, she tried to pull away but stopped as the pain disappeared and she could move her hand again. "You have magic, yes? You fix yourself?"

"Apparently I do, but I don't know how."

"Me know, me know, me show you." The minion yelled and jumped around her before grabbed her small hand and placed it on her dress where she'd broken her ribs. "Want it to heal."

"Of course I want it to heal."

The minion gave a slight frown. "No you must _want_ it to heal, think about it fixing, will the bone together. You try, yes yes." Lo focused on the wound and thought about the bone moving and gave a slight whelp as she felt a pain in her chest. "Slower, too fast and it hurt, yes." Lo started again but instead of pain she felt a slight tingling sensation then nothing.

She threw her arms around the minion's shoulders and received a slightly confused look. "You might not be a handsome knight but you're just as helpful. What's your name?"

"Me not sure, think it used to be Morg."

"Nice to meet you, Morg." Lo held her hand out and stopped herself from moaning when he put his slimy one in her palm. She wiped the muck of on her dress at the waist and put her hand at the ankle and felt the slight tingling as she healed it. " Can you help me get out of here?"

"Yes, yes we climb, follow, follow." Morg started climbing the cobbled wall, leaving hand prints as he pulled himself up. Lo gave out a sigh and decided to follow, but chose larger stones that fitted her hands well, when she was about halfway up, she found she could go no further as the skirt stopped her from moving her leg onto a higher foothold.

"Morg, help, I can't climb higher." Lo felt her hand start to slip down the wet stone and moved her hand to a lower one.

"Dress no good for climbing."

"I know that now, wait, stop, don't rip ... that." Morg started tearing at Lo's dress so the silk stopped at the knee.

"Easier to climb yes, yes."

"This was my favourite dress, now mother's not going to let me play outside. And why do you say yes twice."

"Me don't know."

" And you should say I, not me."

"Me ... I sorry?"

"Close, but instead of I you should have said I'm."

Morg let out a sigh and finished pulling himself to the top of the well. "Human language to complicated."

"You think that's complicated, apparently I'm an elf so my parents are forcing me to learn that language as well, with that and the other tutors." Lo gave out a sigh and Morg offered to help pull her up. "I wish they'd let me play with other kids but I'm not allowed to go into the jungle without guards and they scare people away."

Morg pulled Lo up. " I'm lonely too, I don't know where blue hive is."

"What's the blue hive?" Lo sat on the edge of the well while Morg sat next to her.

"Home, family, friends."

"Will you be my friend Morg?

"Yes, me have friend, I'm not alone any more."

"See, you're learning, I'll teach you language and you can teach me magic."

"I only know healing." Morg looked at his feet as if in shame.

Lo put her hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, can you do anything else?

"No, friends used to be able to teleport." Lo rolled up her sleeves and checked her arms for injury before Morg grabbed her wrist and his eyes widened.

"Where you get markings?"

Lo moved the cloth so it was up her shoulder and started tracing the vine like patterns along her arms. "I was found with them, a mage came and said they acted as a focus for magical energy."

Morg opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by man shouting. "Lo! Where are you? Your mother wishes to speak with you."

"That's Sir Baristan, leader of my fathers guard, do you want to meet him? He's very nice."

Morg shook his head. "No, me don't like people."

"My rooms the second on the left on the second floor, wait for me there."

Morg gave a nod and ran towards the a drainpipe.

Sir Baristan was a bear of a man with arms like tree trunks, his armour was simple, overlapping steel plates tied together by leather strips. "What in the name of the gods happened to you?"

"I fell down the well and broke a few bones but then I met a blue fish person called Morg and he taught me healing magic."

Sir Baristan knelt down on one knee to look her in the eye. "Lo you're eight, that's too old for a highborn lady to have imaginary friends."

"He's not imag ..." Lo stoped as she saw Morg put a finger to his lips and went shh. " I'm sorry, but I know healing now."

"Let's get you cleaned up otherwise your mother won't be pleased if you go to her like this." He messed up her red hair and led her into the house.

* * *

Lo sat in the stone bath as Morg handed her a bar of soap that smelled like orange blossom before jumping in himself.

"Why do you like the water so much." Lo asked before she started to scrub herself.

"I can breathe underwater."

"That's amazing, you're like a frog." Lo giggled before she gave him a stroke on the head. Lo carried on washing herself before grabbing a towel. She put on the new dress that the servants had brought, tied her hair back into a ponytail and found her mother sat on her bed.

"I thought your father told you not to play near the well".

Lo put on an innocent face. "I'm sorry mother, but I'm fine."

"That's not good enough Lo, Sir Baristan will take you to a healer, I want to be sure you're okay."

Lo let out a sigh. " But I'm fine."

"It will only be for an hour Lo, it's only because I care about you."

"Fine, I'll go."

"Thank you Lo. The carriage should be ready by now."

* * *

Lo moaned as the carriage went over another bump. She hated taking the carriage through the jungle, the road was never repaired because of the bandits. Lo looked out the window into into the dense undergrowth and then fell of her seat before the carriage came to an abrupt halt.

She leant out of the window and Sir Baristan yelled " Get down!."

He pulled his sword from it's sheath as a group of men appeared from the foliage. " well, well, what do we have here."

"We don't want trouble, let us pass and no one will be harmed."

"What is the ransom for future queens these days, and has that line ever worked?"

"No ... " His sword hit the first in the chest while he drove a spiked gauntlet into anothers face "but honour demands it."

Lo curled herself into a ball, she hated bandits but her chain of thought was interrupted when a figure blocked the light. "Come here you little brat."A hand grabbed the scruff of her knock and dragged her outside, she was pulled through the undergrowth and thrown against a tree. "Shut up you little bitch or I'll cut your tongue out." Lo started crying before blue lightning crackled out of her hand and went into the man's chest. He arced his back and collapsed to the ground and started crying. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please, I'm so sorry." Lo heard the sound of steel boots and looked to see Baristan striding through the plants before neatly slicing the bandits throat and throwing Lo onto his shoulder.

"Why did you kill him?" Lo voice cracked slightly as she spoke.

"Duty, you will understand one day."

Lo was dropped to the ground before Baristan fell against the carriage and blood leaked from his shoulder joint. "What happened to you? Move your hand."

"Nothing little girls should see."

"I said move your hand." Baristan shifted his hand slightly and Lo pushed it further before pressing her hand against the wound.

"What are you doing girl." Before he could bat her hand away he felt a sudden pain and then a slight tingling.

Lo moved her hand away. " Do you believe that I can heal now."

Baristan gave out a laugh. " This won't get you out of visiting the healer child, and I would like to have your work checked." Lo gave out a huff and went back inside.

* * *

"The girl has magic your ladyship, she healed me from a lethal wound and the healer found evidence of fractures that had healed too quickly to be natural".

Lo mother was sat in the main hall with Baristan talking to her. She let out a sigh. " I don't know, she's only eight."

"That's not all, during the attack I couldn't see her for a for a moment and when I found her one of the bandits was on the floor."

"So she can bring a man down?'

" I'm not sure, the man was crying, and apologising."

"I'll talk to my husband when he returns about sending her to the college. You are dismissed."

Baristan gave a bow and walked out. Lo was stood out side, tapping her foot against the ground.

"What did she say?"

"She will talk to your father when he returns from the capital."

"When the bandits said what was the ransom for a future queen, what did they mean?"

Baristan let out a sigh " Your father is negotiating with the king about marrying his son to you."

"What? But he's ten and boys are disgusting! "

Baristan knelt down on one knee and looked her in the eyes. " Lo, why did I kill the man in the forest."

"Because you're mean."

"By killing that one man I stopped him from hurting others, it was my duty. The king believes you marrying his son will show the elves we aren't like the empire, the overlord united the races by fear, he thinks we can do it in peace. It will be your duty."

"But I'm eight!"

"Duty is duty. No matter your age."

"But I don't want to sit on some throne, I'd rather fight."

"You want to fight girl? Then hit me. On the battle field ..." Baristan stopped as Lo slapped his face. "Killing a man is different from slapping ... ' He stopped as she slapped him again. " This is not a game." Lo slapped again.

"I want to learn to fight."

"I saw what you did to that man, you don't need steel with that power." Slap.

"Then give me a better metal."

" A sword is no tool for a woman."

"Then give me a bow."

"You've got quite the mouth haven't you girl."

" And you the reluctance to teach."

" I've never been comfortable with bows, if you are to kill someone you should have the courtesy to look him in the eyes, man to man."

"Well I'm not a man or are you going blind."

"I''ll see if I can find you a tutor but you must not mention it to your mother, and you must finish your normal lessons before training."

"I won't, and thank you." She gave him a playful slap and walked back to her room.

* * *

_A/N ty for reading. Anyone know a good beta reader?_


	3. Chapter 2 - training & travel

"Aim higher." Parcid said, Lo was pointing the bow towards a straw dummy and her hands were shaking slightly from the weight. Lo let go of the string and the arrow missed the target entirely.

"I want to stop, this is too hard." Lo let out a huff and tried to throw the bow to the floor but Parcid caught it and put it back on the rack.

He grabbed a short bow and placed it in her hand. " Treat your weapon with respect, where I come from we couldn't just throw things away. Now try again, but higher this time."

Lo returned to a firing stance, her hands much steadier this time. " And where is it you come from?"

"You don't need to know that little girl."

"I am not a little girl!" Lo practically yelled.

"Are you smaller and younger than me?"

Lo was silent for a moment, starring into Parcid one eye. "Yes, but that's not the point."

"Fine then, little boy."

Lo let go of the string and turned fully towards him, her arms folded. " I'm a lady, when my father passes I will inherit his land and I will be able to have people that annoy me punished."

" Look at the target." Parcid turned her around to the dummy and she looked at the arrow in the dummy's stomach. "Anyway, your the only thing keeping me alive. If it wasn't for you wanting to learn I'd be dead for poaching."

" If the lord finds you then it won't matter." Baristan was leaning against the wall. "Lo, you've finished training for the day, I need to talk to your tutor."

"But I want to know what you're talking about. You never tell me."

"That's because there area things little girls shouldn't hear.

Lo let out a huff, gave a slight courtesy and left. Baristan walked towards the younger man, while he was in his late forties, Parcid was twenty eight. " I'm glad you don't share your masters attitude towards inheritance."

"No, but my attitude towards poachers, bandits and traitors is worse."

" But not their sons."

" Your father was loyal, to the wrong side maybe, but loyal none the less."

" What is it you want to talk about?"

" You'll be leaving in three weeks." Parcid was about to speak before Baristan interrupted. " Don't worry, Lo's leaving to go to the college in Nordberg."

"Ah, so the little elf girl has magic."

"It's more than that, I won't be going with her so you'll be looking after her, and the people she wants to hurt"

"I can look after my self and she's a little girl, how much damage can she do."

"Little girls grow up. Over the years she will get stronger and she will get a greater control on her abilities. Did you ever see what the Overlord was able to do? She can do that without even thinking about it."

"I don't think she's capable of ruling the world yet."

"No, but when she's marries she'll be given it on a plate. You know she's going to marry the king?"

"Ye, my men intercepted a few messages about that."

"Don't tell the girl about the banditry, she hates them with a passion. Tell me, why did you come here, Crasius exiled your family but you came here, why?"

"Because my of my evil plan," Parcid said sarcastically. " By stopping the men from repairing the road every carriage ride becomes mildly uncomfortable."

"You're not funny."

"All a matter of perspective."

* * *

Morg gave a slight nod to the hooded figure across the courtyard, Lo had left with her family to have some warm clothes made in the capital, so he was left alone , Parcid had gone with them but the serving staff were still there, but he couldn't let them know about him. He met the figure by the well.

"She's to leave in three weeks." Morg said, taking a seat.

"We need it to be faster than that, if she isn't ready in time we cannot be rid of Fay."

"Has Gnarl made his move yet.?"

"No, he'll do it when the time is right."

"What about the loyalists son?"

"He has a grudge against the girls father, it is understandable."

"How do we get her to leave ?"

"Her parents fear for her safety, as does the king and his lordship, place some sharp rocks on the bottom of the well, I want it lethal."

* * *

Baristan and Parcid looked around the well, one of the maids was stood nearby, tears rolling down her face.

"You found the body two days. Was your sister acting strangely before, scared, paranoid?"

"She said she'd been seeing lights in the garden, but I told her that it was just one of the night watch. I'm sorry what's he doing?" She pointed to Parcid was was slowly lowering himself into the well.

"What are you doing?"

"Showing you something."

"That's at the bottom of a well?"

"Just trust me." A few minutes later three stones flew out of the bottom of the well followed by Parcid. "What do you see?"

"Stones."

Parcid let out a sigh and rolled his eye. "And what's different about the stones?"

"The colour. So what?"

"You're not very bright are you."

"Insult your captor, that always helps."

Parcid threw the sharpest looking stone towards Baristan. "The sharp stones are a different colour from the ones that are down there. They cant have been down there long other wise they'd be the same colour."

"So someone murdered her?"

Parcid gave a slight nod. "She was pushed as well, if you look at the dirt."

"I get it, you're smarter than you look. Now tell me why you did it." Baristan's sword was suddenly pressed against Parcid's throat.

Baristan had expect him to flinch, to start sweating slightly, but got a laugh instead. "I was with you and the girl in the capital."

"We didn't see you for a few days, you could have returned then."

" Firstly, why would I kill a serving girl? Secondly there are many whores who can tell you where I was."

"I don't know, you tell me why."

"If I was going to kill anyone, it would be the bastard lord that cut my eye, not his servant."

Baristan lowered his sword "We should send the girl away, if this happens again we don't want her around."

Morg watched from the roof top and gave a long, low chuckle, everything was going to plan. He heard Lo shouting so he climbed down back in through the window. She was stood over a large trunk, neatly folding up the fur-lined clothes.

" Do you have anything you want to take?" She asked before closing it and sitting on the lid.

Morg shook his head. 'Someone's coming." He quickly ran back in the bathroom as Parcid came in. "We'll be leaving sooner than expected, you have two days."

"Is it because of what happened to that girl?" Lo asked curiously.

Parcid gave a slight nod. "Baristan and your father think it will be safest for you to leave while there investigating, there still trying to work out whether it was poison or magic, neither's good news. One way it could be anyone, the other means you have powerful enemies."

" I did know I had any regular ones."

" Give it enough time, everyone makes them."

"Do you have many enemies?"

"Just the one." He saw Lo mouth open to ask a question. "It doesn't matter."

"Why don't people tell me anything?"

"You have to earn the truth, you can't force it out of people."

"Then why does torture work."

"It doesn't always." And with that he left, slamming the door behind him.

"What's wrong with him?"

* * *

Lo had found something she hated more than bumpy carriage rides, the boat swayed slightly as she vomited for the second time that morning. She rearranged her fur coat and watched as the first flakes of snow began to fall. She felt a strange calm fall over her and watched as one fell on her nose, she gave a slight chuckle and opened her mouth, letting one fall on her tongue. Before she could close her mouth, she moved her head over the side as she threw up again. Morg pulled himself up, wiping a small piece of carrot that Lo had eaten from his gill.

"Still sea sick?" Morg had been enjoying a swim in the icy water before a mixture of breakfast and last nights dinner was being rained down upon him.

"It's not funny."

"Who are you talking to little girl?" Parcid had just came from below deck, Morg stripped down into the water.

"No one. Just clearing my head. And I'm not a little girl."

"Time for practice."

"I want to go below deck, I don't throw up as much."

"Yes but the captain moans when you don't make it to a bucket or port hole in time, now grab a bow and start practicing."

Parcid picked up a small box on wheels and shoved a stick with a dummy attached to it and let it go, the gentle swaying of the boat causing it to roll around. Lo tried to concentrate but the swaying was making her feel nauseous. She let go of an arrow and ran to the side of the boat, releasing another stream of vomit. Parcid stumbled forward, the arrow stuck out just bellow the shoulder and his hand holding the other end.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, just I had to..."

Parcid couldn't hold his laughter back any longer, he ,moved his arm up and the held the arrow in his hand. "The arrow hit the dummy, pay attention, on the field you should be more concerned about your enemy falling then your ally."

"What's wrong with caring about friends?"

"There's nothing wrong, you have to make sure its safe before you help them. And since when did we become friends?" Lo gave a shrug. " Now try again, without the vomiting".

_A/N ty for reading, first review said I should add more characters so if anyone has any ideas PM me and I'll see if I can fit them in._


	4. Chapter 3- In sickness and in health

Parcid stood over Lo as she drifted in and out of consciousness. He had ordered someone to watch her since she had fallen ill. He walked up the stair to the main deck and found the captain looking over the side. It was night time and only a few torches were spread around, the northern lights shone in the sky as they began to see the city on the horizon.

"What's it like to be home then?" The captain asked as Parcid stood beside him.

"They destroyed the estate when they took the last Overlord down, there's no home here until I build one. How do you know who I am?" The man rolled up a sleeve to revel a tattoo of a serpent sliding into the eye socket of a skull. "Ah, your one of those."

Before the war against the Overlord, he grew tired of ruling and gave his followers the right to govern in his place. In many ways the system returned to that of the empire, while the peasants toilets mindlessly, the rich grew richer, until the rebellion. Parcid's father was one of the three that remained loyal while the others fought themselves and the Overlord minions, building up his army and training his men for when the others were weak from fighting so he could reclaim it for his master. His plan failed, the rest of the land united against them and before the others fell, he finished one of his experiments, a sorcery long forgotten that was meant to infuse someone's body with magic. The men produced weren't given names, there acts weren't record and their entire existence could be denied. The only way of identification was the tattoo, and even then, the strange powers they exhibited made it difficult, as it shifted or sometimes disappeared altogether. They were invisible men, their identities hidden to everyone, even each other, apart from the man who created them.

"Your father was a good man, before the treatment I was nothing, but after that ... well you know what happen end."

Parcid gave a nod. "What about the others?"

"I tried to find them, but with the king hunting us, had some difficulty in the ruins of the empire's capital a few years ago. Mostly doing freelance jobs, getting things for the noble bastards that are ... dislikes by the authorities."

* * *

Lo wandered through her house, walking through the sun lit corridors while shadows of small creatures walked behind her. She stepped up the stairs, her feet hitting them with a sound that should have belonged to an armoured boot, not that of a little girl wearing soft soled shoes. She carried on to the door of her room, a harsh red glow emanated from the edges. She twisted the handle and it opened slowly with a long creak.

* * *

Baristan let out a sigh, this was the third girl this week. All had seen strange lights, gone to investigate them, and had died, each seemed to be in a more public way. First there was the stones in the well, the second was found to have gone into the jungle, with the heat and moisture her body was already decomposed, the next's throat was slit while she was in the kitchen, there were a few other but this was the worst, she'd gone mad, paranoia of what had happened to the other twisted her mind, she started wandering around the house and slicing anybody who came close enough to her with a cleaver and screaming she wouldn't share their fate, and she'd had to be put down. Baristan knew there must be a link between them, but the only one was to obvious, they were all women, their age varied too much, most from different families, most had different looks. He laid out the details of each killing on a table, trying to find a link, he thought he had one but the latest victim had ruined it. Lo's father, Lord Crasius came in, his face contorted in fear and anger.

"Baristan come with me."

* * *

Lo wandered through the obsidian hall walking towards a throne as creatures in the shadows danced and laughed. She could feel the darkness around her. It felt like home.

She knew Crasius and his wife weren't her parents, her pointed ears had pointed that out. True, they had looked after her well enough, she'd been treated like a princess, she'd been given fine clothes and the latest toys, but now the princess part seemed all to real. But even then she knew she was a replacement to her father, her 'parents' had lost their son in the jungle, the spiders that bit the already sickly child spread poison through it's veins. They'd found her on the road swaddled in day old rags. Her mother thought it was a sign, just as their child had been lost to them a new one had been found, a gift from the God's to show them that those who were just would receive blessings when they needed them most. Her _loving father _saw it as a mockery, a son who he would teach to fight, to hunt, and to rule, was taken away from him. In its place was a daughter, the laws of the land saying that she'd marry the son of a lord and take his name. The Crasius family would disappear into history, his legacy with it. But then it was found out the girl had magic, Crasius despised it, it was used by the Overlord and his followers.

Lo carried on walking towards the black throne, a suit of silver armour sat on it. Lo placed her hand on it's gauntlet, she smiled when she discovered it felt warm, her hand trailed up to it's shoulder plate before moving to it chest and helmet. She placed her other hand on the arm of the throne before sitting in the lap of the immobile armour. She stayed there for a minuet, she tried to move but her heart froze as its arms wrapped around her, keeping her in place as she tried to struggle against its vice like grip. She could feel it draining her, absorbing her into it's armour. She let out a scream as blue lightning leapt from her hands.

* * *

Parcid looked as Lo writhed in her bed, trying to fight some unseen force. He let out a sigh and then left her room, heading straight for the ramp off the boat, they'd been docked for a few hours but the captain was explaining why his cargo was technically legal. The city was just as he remembered, it had grown under the overlord to be the centre of arms and armour, massive forges toiled day and night to produce huge quantities of swords, shields, arrow heads, and all other thing needed to maintain an army. The armour produced this way weren't pieces of artwork like the armour the lords wore, it was simple and practical. But there were a few smithies that produced the more elaborate. Parcid walked to the black glacier, where the soot from the forges blew , and carried on walking to the site of his old home, all that was left was a few scattered stones. Parcid started to work. He'd told the captain he was going to build a home here, and that's just what he planned to do.

* * *

Baristan looked at Lo's mother. She knew what might happen to her but she didn't lose her composure. She just waited as her husband explained to Baristan that she'd been seeing the lights for the past few days. Her eyes were blood shot and dark circles had formed around the bottom. She looked tired, and the sun would set soon, and with that the lights would return. For once Baristan had a plan on how to catch them.

* * *

Lo was panting, she'd broken free of the armour but it walked towards her, in it's shadow were the creatures that had jeered before. No matter how fast she ran the armour and its followers kept up with her, the distance between them shortening with every second. She felt something grasp at her leg and felt a burning sensation as she looked down to see a small, red creature grasping at her leg and felt something else leap onto her back and drive her to the floor. She was pinned to the ground as a group of brown creatures held down her arms and legs. The armour knelt beside her and placed it's hand on her face, blocking her vision and keeping her mouth closed. She tried to let out a scream before she felt herself being drained again. Lightning shot from her hands once more, frying the creatures that held her down and forcing the armour away.

"No." Lo shouted. Pulling herself up, she shot another bolt of lightning hitting the steel creature in the chest. "No." Her other hand joined in, the energy increasing in intensity as it crumpled onto the obsidian floor. "You will not take my body, but I will take yours." The creature tried to struggle against the floor but was thrown up into the air. The space between them glowed green and was dragged towards Lo. The armour disintegrated, leaving her standing in the hall by herself. "You are mine".

* * *

Lo's mother watched as the light danced around her, they were beautiful, but she couldn't follow them. She was locked in her room, given the key in case she needed to run. They were out side on the balcony, she gave no notice till she heard a tapping on the glass door that separated the area. There was a woman standing outside, her dress was crimson and flowed to the ground she was wearing a black corset that hugged her waist stomach and made her seem slender than she was and long blonde hair that stopped at her waist. Lo's mother felt herself being dragged towards the beguiling woman.

"Who are you?" She asked.

The woman gave a smile as Lo's mother unlocked the door. "My name, is Lilith."

Baristan had heard the voices and he quickly turned the key, opening the door just as Lilith's knife slit Lo's mother throat and she pushed the body over the side off the balcony. She glanced towards him as he charged, his sword dragging behind him. She pulled herself onto the side as her corset unfurled into a pair of black, leathery wings. She gave a seductive smile before leaping off the edge, her wings flapping behind her.

* * *

Lo smiled as she pulled herself up, a slight blue light flowed from her skin. She felt strong as new magic flowed through her veins. She felt as if with a snap of her fingers she could set a city alight. And it felt good.

* * *

_A/N Sorry it's been a while since I've updated and this chapter jumps all over the place, but things should begin to tie together at some time as for once I have a plan where this story is going._


	5. Chapter 4 - History

Lo flicked through the books of the colleges library, for once in her life, she actually felt like reading. At home all the books were boring to her, many were ledgers to keep charge of income and expenditures, others were massive tomes, chronicling family histories. These were different though, some were stories, but most were instructions. She'd tried to take one of the larger books out but the librarian had stopped her, saying that they weren't to little girls. She hated that everybody called her that when she had the same power in her little finger, that they had through there entire bodies.

She'd been there to three weeks and had finally gotten used to the cold, in fact she felt better here than she did sat home, but maybe that was because nothing here reminded her of her mother. She'd received news of the death about a week after she arrived. She was too far away to go to the funeral so she had just hidden in her room for a few, she didn't cry, that was the worst part, she didn't feel sad or angry, and that made her feel worse, which made for feel better as she thought she was starting to feel sad, which made her feel worse again. Right now though she had other things on her mind.

Her teachers all said her practical skill was excellent, better than people twice her age, but her theoretical knowledge was poor. She didn't know why she needed to know about previous wizards but for once she found an interesting book, The tale of the eight heroes. She liked the idea of people uniting together against a common threat, that's what she would be doing when she was older, but instead of a enemy an ally. She had started to like the idea of being queen.

* * *

Parcid took a deep breath before he released the bow string. The arrow flew through the air and struck the seal in the shoulder slowing down it's already laboured crawl towards the water. He moved quickly towards it and shoved the dagger into the creatures spine, causing it to flop to the floor. He'd not been hunting like this for too, Everlight was terrible for it, the only moving animal at a decent speeds were the panthers or the monkeys. And neither had enough meat on them to be worth hunting. The walruses though, they were large enough to compensate for the speed and the fat sold for a good price. It was hard working dragging one back to the sled he bought, but he felt sorry for the dogs that pulled it after he had stacked five of them on the wooden surface. Few people welcomed him in town, Nordberg wasn't treated well after the war and they were suspicious of outsiders. He sold them to one of the local suppliers and went to the build site. Lo was sat on the low stone wall he'd built and was eating a piece of pie with a book sat next to her.

"Can I go hunting with you tomorrow?" She asked without warning.

"No you're too young."

"Why does everybody say that, I'm nine now, that's older than eight."

"You were nine last week, and your still immature and impatient."

Lo gave out a huff. "No I'm not!" She slammed her fist on the wall.

Parcid gave a chuckle. "Way to prove a point. What's the book anyway?"

"The tale of the eight heroes."

Parcid picked it up and shook his head. "They took off the other half of the book."

Lo raised an eyebrow. "What other half?"

Parcid moved over to his bag and pulled. He pulled out a book that was a similar size to the one Lo had brought and passed it to her. "You want to know what happened to the heroes after that?"

"But the storey ends with the eighth hero sacrificing himself to kill the overlord, it's how all the storeys go."

"But life doesn't end when the storey does."

Lo opened the first page and stared at the picture. She recognized the armour instantly. "Who's that?"

"That is the eight hero, otherwise known as the third overlord."

"What's an overlord."

"You've had a really sheltered life haven't you. It's hard to explain really, there'll probably be a few books about it in the library if you look."

"I think I will."

* * *

Lo had found a book, it wasn't that large actually and she could carry it with ease. After a few minutes of flicking through the pages she couldn't find any information on where he came from, or why he had appeared in her dream. Before she could close it though, she found the page on minions.

"What you looking at?"

Lo looked up to see Morg sat the table, she hadn't seen him for a few days, but he did disappear every now and again. "When I met you, you said you were a minion right?"

"Yes."

"So you know about the Overlord?"

"He leader of minion-kind. There been, " Lo looked at his hand and started counting his fingers, "four so far."

"So far?"

"New one is coming soon, yes."

"So you'll be leaving then." Lo sounded disappointed, apart from Parcid, he was the only one who came with her from Everlight and along with a few possessions the only link to her home.

Morg shook his head" Blue minions rebel against the fourth. Won't be leaving your side."

Lo gave Morg a soft pat on the head. "Why did you rebel?"

Morg shrugged, he actually knew why but she would find out in her own time. Lo continued flicking through the book. "Why is there nothing about blue's?" She asked Most. He looked at the front of the book and read the date the book was written in.

"This written after rebellion, writer not know about blues."

Lo moved to the empty pages near the back, it was common practice that the books in the library do this in case there was a new discovery in the subject. She hummed slightly as she thought before closing the book and walking to the librarian, a middle aged woman with a pointy nose and small green eyes. "I want to take this out."

"You're a bit young for that aren't you?"

Lo couldn't stand it anymore. "You know what I don't think I am, I'm going to be queen some day so you will treat me with respect."

The librarian gave a laugh. "Fine then, you may take the book, your majesty." She gave a mocking bow as Lo left. "Going to be queen." She shook her head. "Such imagination."

* * *

Lo looked at her work, the writing was neat and fitted with the style in the previous chapters, but she was actually proud of the drawing. She closed the book as her room mate came in in. Anise was fifteen, it was the college's idea that paring a newer student with a more experienced one would help both, and she planned to stay at the college when her studies were complete. Most people left at the age of seventeen, but if the student had talent, or prior engagements they could leave earlier. She was set to finish next year so spent most of her free time either studying, or sending Lo on some errand so she could be alone with the range of boys that she seemed to be going out with.

"What's going Pointy?" Anise had several nicknames for Lo, Pointy was because of her ears, Glowly because of the light she emmited, and Red because of her hair.

Lo actually liked Anise, she could be a bitch, but was actually pleasant for the majority of the time and helped with her work. She didn't mind the nickname either, and as far as Anise saw having an elf for company gave her something to show off to her guests. "Not much, teachers are saying I have to study more on the theory side."

"Would you mind going back to the library, I have company coming round soon."

"But I've just gotten in."

"Please, it'll only be for hour, actually, you can stay till he comes, it'll make him think that I'm not bothered and he'll try harder."

Lo gave out a sigh, she seemed to constantly play games with them. "Is this the same one as last time?"

Anise nodded. "How's Parcid?"

Lo's parents hadn't told her the facts of life, which was probably a good thing since she was eight, but she wasn't an idiot either and could tell her room mate was attracted to her guardian. "Still too old for you."

"Give me sometime and I'll change his mind."

"Maybe in five years you'll be more age appropriate."

* * *

_A/N Sorry for this chapter being slightly shorter than usual, next one should be back to normal._


	6. Chapter 5- In the darkness

Anise walked through the dark and frozen streets, her footsteps accompanied by the crunch of ice. She was twenty now, and instead of studying and sharing a room with Lo, she now taught some of the younger students and had her own quarters at the college. She'd also moved past the phase of moving from one boyfriend to the next, but was by no means willing to settle down, she was still young. She'd recently gotten out of a relationship for that reason, he'd proposed and when she tried to explain why he hadn't let her and walked off into the snow, she hadn't seen him since. She heard the sound of a pained groan as a man walked out from an alley way. He was stumbling, blood poured out a hole in his coat and he had a large gash on his head.

"Are you alright?'_ Of course he's not alright, nobody should be able to loose that much blood and be walking._ She moved closer to the man as he collapsed on the floor. "Don't die." She pressed her hand to the man's wound and thanked Lo for teaching her healing all those years ago. She brushed the man's hair from his face and looked at his single closed eye and the strip of cloth that covered the hole where the other should be. She recognized the man quickly, Parcid.

* * *

Lo looked up at the stars, she would never get used to the sight. In Everlight the dense foliage had blocked most of the light. It felt strange, the stars, the roaring fire, the boy holding her in his arms. They'd been out hunting and had lost track of time,ending up making camp in a cave they had found. His name was Ule, they weren't in love, just he was the only that was willing to take her hunting, and it was the best way to keep warm. Ule was snoring softly, that and the warmth comforted her, made her feel safe despite the inky blackness that was pierced by the lights in the sky.

She was fourteen now, and she had started to notice things, where ever she went there was always someone with her or near by, usually an adult but other times it had been a pair of teenagers, at first she thought she was being paranoid, but over time that feeling had disappeared. She was right, and that meant there was someone out there. She looked around as the glow she developed let her see a few feet into the darkness. She saw nothing at first, but noticed the shadow of a gargantuan wolf, its huge maw filled with yellow teeth. Lo let a ball of fire fly from her hand, aiming for the wolfs paw, which it lifted and then used to stamp out the embers.

That was when she saw the man haunched beside the creature, his frame was huge and thick fur armour dotted with plates of metal scarcely covered his frame. He seemed to grow as he pulled himself to his full night, his back hunched over and in his large, taloned hands was a heavy, spiked mace that he dragged along the floor. Lo tried to shake Ule but he wouldn't wake. The man's heavy footfalls were slow but inevitable, moving closer with the spiked weapon leaving large gash marks in the earth. look shifted away from the boy, reaching for the bow she had in her pack. The creature swung its mace, crushing Ule's body with a sickening crunch. Lo let go of the bow string and watched as the creature didn't even flinch when the steel buried itself in it's chest, _holy crap, how can he still be standing._ Lo let another arrow fly, this time aiming for its knee, it slowed down slightly but the creature's carried on with it's advance. She started to run further into the cave, the ever present sound of the creatures footsteps following her was the only one apart from her sharp breathing.

The footsteps stopped and she glanced behind her. Nothing. She heard a growl and then the wolf leapt, it's massive jaws clamping down onto Lo's thigh. She bared here teeth to keep herself from screaming. Her tutors had told her it was dark magic but let the blue lightning dance from her hands before pressing them into the wolf's eye. It's jaws became loose and she forced them open before it ran away into the darkness. She pressed her hands to her leg as blood poured out and then stopped while the flesh knitted together. She heard the man give an almost feral growl before he leapt, time slowed down for Lo as the adrenaline kicked in, she could feel her every heartbeat, the air rushing in and out of her lungs. She let instinct take over and she rolled backwards. The surface she had ended up on was wooden and Lo glanced around to see pale wooden beams covered in vines. She had read about elven architecture but she didn't know it could be found in Nordberg.

She took a deep breath before letting another arrow fly, this time aiming straight for the brute's chest. It seemed to have slightly more effect and repeated the action, but this time glancing off one of the metal plates. He tool a step forward, the wood beneath him cracking and splintering under his weight. He brought the mace above his head and swung the mace slowly, putting as much power into it as possible. Lo shifted her weight again, rolling further towards the edge as splinters flew from the massive impact. The whole structure shook for a second before stabilizing. Lo took a deep breath as she finally had a plan.

She dived between the hulking brute's legs, landing on her stomach with splinters digging into her fur coat. She pulled herself up and shot an arrow into her attacker's shoulder, it didn't slow him down but she received the reaction he was hoping for, a furious roar. She dived to left as his clumsy swings came towards her until the floor was ripped apart. She repeated this but dived to the right now. The wood groaned as the remaining beams began to buckle under their own weight and Lo ran for the edge, diving as the floor gave way and the man fell with it. The drop wasn't enough to kill him but the remains of the platform crashed on top of him, shattering his bones.

Lo was holding on to the ledge with both hands. She tried to pull herself up but couldn't. There was a low growl coming from above her and she saw the wolf. It moved it's head down and sniffed her wrist, before gently taking the sleeve of her coat into her mouth and pulling up and dragging her from the edge. She gave out a relived sigh before running to Ule's body. She knew he was dead, just it felt like the right thing to do. The energy in her limbs began to slowly drain away and she felt tired and there was a pain in her chest. She looked down and then glared at the wooden steak that was in her stomach. She collapsed and starting cursing under her breath. Her hand moved down and pulled it out in a swift movement before placing her hand and forcing the flesh to repair before the fountain of blood could come out. How long had she been fighting for, it felt like days but Ule's corpse was still warm so it couldn't have been more than a few minutes. And with that thought, she collapsed.

* * *

Parcid found himself lying on a bed that wasn't his own. The room was made of stone and was relatively tidy, apart from the odd pieces of jewelry that were spread on a small dresser in the corner. He lifted the covers and glanced down. _ Still wearing trousers._ That meant he hadn't slept with anyone although the room did defiantly belong to a woman.

"Nice to see your finally awake." Anise said, walking out from the bathroom. She was fully dressed and running a comb through her dark hair.

Parcid gave a frown, trying to remember where he knew her from. "Anise, you were Lo's room mate right?"

She gave a nod. "So why did I find you half beaten to death? Sleep with someone's daughter?"

Parcid gave a chuckle. "As much as I would like to say so, it's the whole thinking outsiders are scum."

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh, come on, with your skin colour they must hate you more than me, where are you from anyway?"

"The Ruborian desert, most of family was born there, grand mother was the most jealous person I've ever known."

Parcid sat up and looked at his chest, checking the her handiwork. "How bad was it?"

"I wouldn't have been surprised if you hadn't made it. Anyway it's not to bad, some women find scars sexy."

Parcid stood up and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling closer. "Are you one of them?"

She traced one of them with a single finger. "At times."They moved their lips closer together but there was a knock on the door. "Would you mind getting that?"

Parcid let go and walked to the door. He opened it and Lo was stood outside. "Er, I'll just leave."

Parcid looked at here, her coat had deep red stains and pieces of wood coming out of it and she was caked in mud and snow. "Shit what happened to you?"

"It's a long story, and I brought a friend."

Parcid looked outside the door and saw the massive wolf sat next to the girl and the crowd staring at it. With a single whistle, it followed he in side.

* * *

Lo told what had happened, how she was attacked by the giant man, and how the wolf wouldn't leave her side.

Parcid let out a laugh. "The Overlord bred wolfs to be as large and smart as possible, from the size of this one, its an alpha."

"Alpha?" Anise asked.

"Wolfs live in packs, the biggest or smartest is the leader until someone takes his place, I'm guessing the man you beat had killed this wolf's pack and knocked this guy on his ass and now you've taken his place."

"Sounds like the nobles."

* * *

Morg sat opposite Lilith, he was annoyed, she'd acted without consulting the others. "You could have ruined the entire plan."

"He had strict instructions not to kill her."

"That has never stopped him before, you know how his anger get's to him, you could have ruined his return."

"Who do you think wanted her tested?"

* * *

Baleon flicked through the report his agent had sent, the girl was strong he'd give her that, the site of the battle was exactly as she described, but only the man's armour was left behind. But the wolf, that was a surprise, a creature that the Overlord had bred to fight and kill, had accepted a child as his master. He'd read the old stories about elven maidens riding unicorns or stags, but a wolf, that would be interesting. He shook his head, that didn't matter, the girl would need to be guarded more closely, the attack may have been random, but it may not have been...

* * *

_A/N Ty for reading. If you played overlord one you may have picked up on Anise's comment. Please write a review or follow._


	7. Chapter 6- Inheritance

_A/N Please make sure you've read chapter five, as when I checked the stats some people skipped it._

* * *

Gnarl hit grubby, causing him to fall off Quavers shoulders and the cloaked tower of minions to topple. It was the only way they could get in to Lo's room without notice. She had been at the college for six years now and Morg's and the other minions reports all came to the same conclusion : she was ready to remove Fay's influence from the netherworld, there was also a side note saying how she looked accompanied by a stain where the drool had landed. The group quickly reassembled themselves as they heard the door creak open. Morg was stood there and gave them a nod.

"She'll be back soon, she's practicing archery."

Gnarl shook his head. "The overlord should fight his enemies at close range, not hiding behind a wall of minions."

"This overlord isn't a he though. Any way would you like some tea?"

"Tea?"

"Its water with boiled leaves in it, her ladyship says it polite to offer some to guests."

"This is the problem, the overlord should be a man that drinks the blood of his enemies, not a girl that drinks boiled leaves."

"Actually, it tastes rather nice, you can add sugar."

* * *

Parcid listened to the latest argument at the bar, lately the conversations were either drunken slurs about somebody looking at another's girlfriend, why the college had been set up here, but the largest and most interesting, was the one going on in the centre. They were saying how much better Nordberg was, before some southerner had come to rule here. Suddenly there was a man stood on the table and yelling at the top of his voice.

"They say that the overlord was the greatest evil this world has known. Our city flourished under his supposed rein of darkness." The man was drunk but nobody was stopping him, in truth most people felt the same way. "Then some bloody king comes along, and now look at our city, ruled by someone who can't even walk over the ice without falling over, we should have someone who knows the land, who's born where the people live on the ice, not some fancy southern shit that thinks just because he rules he deserves our respect." Parcid gave a sigh, he was tired of this and decided to leave, but before he could he heard the man shouting again and turned around to see the man pointing at him. "See there one of them goes, I bet he'd never seen snow till he came here. Tell me southerner, what did your father do?"

"He was a lord."

"Oh, so your a noble shit. Tell me, where are you from, everlight maybe, the ruins of the empire city?"

"Here actually."

"Oh, so you think you're funny do you, where are you really from?"

"I told you."

"The last lord's brat, had his eye cut out by out noble liberators, they were so noble that they were willing to cripple a child." There was a cheer from the crowd.

Parcid brushed the fringe that went over his eye to the side, revealing the scar and the strip of linen that covered the open wound. "What, like this one?" The entire room fell silent.

* * *

"So, we are all in agreement, it will be acceptable for the new overlord to drink tea." Gnarl said, before taking another sip from the cup. It was actually surprising pleasant. The group had ended up sitting round Lo's desk, talking about what they would have to do differently considering the situation.

Quaver, who had been assigned to guard duty, stuck his head back through the door. "She's coming."

The minions quickly returned to standing on each other and Gnarl drew the hood of the cloak over his head so only the slight glow of his eyes would even give the hint of a face while Morg returned to hiding. As Lo stepped in Gnarl's jaw dropped, she looked like her mother before the overlord turned her, but better, her features were soft and gentle but there was something in her eyes that spoke of power and a natural authority. Her red hair was tied in a loose braid that rested on the shoulder of a grey fur coat that covered a flowing silk gown. She would have seemed completely harmless if not for the wolf at her side that came to her chest and let out a deep growl. "Fengir no, are you and what are you doing in my room?"

Gnarl watched as she hung the coat on the wall and her hands fell to her hips. At first Gnarl had thought she had broad shoulders but when she took the coat off he realised that it was incredibly thick due to the much thinner layer underneath, and masked her slender figure. He suppressed a pained moan as Grubby bit his leg and whispered for him to get on with it. "I'm here to talk about inheritance."

"By the gods not another one." Lo sighed. "Seriously when will you and the other lords get it into your heads that I'm not go to sell my children, my father may have traded me but I know better." She sat at her desk and started writing, her quill scratching against the paper.

"Actually, I am here to talk about your inheritance."

"Did they find my mothers broach? Baristan thinks Parcid stole it but he says stealing is wrong unless you'll die if you don't."

" I mean the inheritance from your actual parents."

Lo turned around, her air of self entitlement disappeared and her glow flared for a second. "My name, is Gnarl." He dropped the cloak to reveal himself and pulled a scroll out of his sleeve. He placed it on the desk, watching as Lo unravelled it, falling off the stack of other minions.

Lo's eyes flickered over the old paper, reading every word twice before placing it down. '"Was my mother really that fat?"

* * *

Parcid walked with Anise, holding her hand as the snow carried on falling.

"I thought you didn't want people finding out about your family?" She asked before walking with him under an overhanging roof to get out of the blizzard.

"What was I supposed do?"

"Ignore them."

He let out sigh. "I'm tired Anne, tired of people saying that I don't belong here, tired of building that house by myself."

"I've offered to help but you."

"I need to do this on my own, it was burnt to the ground and now I'm so close, just a few more weeks."

"It's always just a few more weeks, you need to take a break".

"I can't."

"Why?"

"I just can't. It links me back to this place. Do you know what I'm most tired of Anne, the snow, the cold. My father ruled here, kept his people safe, and I can't even stand to be around this frozen hell."

"Then why are you staying here, Lo doesn't need an archery teacher anymore."

"Because I when I'm in that house, I feel warm, it's the only time I feel warm."

Anise stood there for a second before her gaze shifted, to the floor. "What about when we're together?"

Parcid realised his mistake. "I didn't mean that."She started to walk off disappearing into the thick snow.

He called after her, trying to chase her through the snow but with no luck. He let a sigh and left through the main gate, walking over the black glacier to the build site. He heard the light crunch of snow behind him. "Anise is that you?" He span around to see a woman with long blonde hair wearing a red dress.

"I apologize, but we need leverage on the girl, it should be painless and you shouldn't remember it."

* * *

"No, I can't be the Overlords daughter, I mean, I'm an elf." Lo said quickly, she was still trying to get to grips with the situation."

Gnarl shook his head. "Your mother is an elf, we're not sure how the whole elf, human contaminated by a magical explosion breeding works. All we know is that the markings and the fact we feel a need to obey you makes you the next overlord."

"But I'm female, I don't have the glowing eyes or the urge to destroy all life."

"The overlord isn't about destroying, it's about conquering. The eye glow becomes more pronounced with helmet. The female thing though, that we can't explain, even before the tittle became overlord this has never happened."

"But surely that's enough, I can't be his succesor."

Morg pulled himself through the window, panting. "Fay has made her move, the loyalists son."

"What are you talking about, whose the loyalists son?"

"You call him Parcid." Gnarl said.

"What's she done to him?" Lo shouted. The minions didn't answer. "Answer me."

The instinct to obey her kick in for Morg. "He's sleeping, possibly for ever if we don't end her spell."

"Where is she?" She yelled baring her teeth and walking towards the door.

"There's a tunnel to the netherworld near by, do you remember the cave you were attacked in?" Gnarl asked. Lo nodded, grabbing her bow and moving towards a wardrobe. "We'll leave first, she cannot suspect we are working together."

As the procession of minions left Lo opened the oak door to reveal a set of leather armour with pieces of scale mail for the joints. She had practised wearing it a few times while shooting but had to have it refitted and hadn't worn it since, she just hoped it would fit properly. It was slightly to tight but it would do. Fengir followed her from the room, stalking her from the shadows.

They'd developed a strong bond, when she was told he would have to sleep outside in the stables, she had said no, and he had taken the space, her room mate should have used. He learned quickly about not doing his business indoors, and after that the relationship had grown. He got food and shelter, she got someone who was willing to take her hunting, warmth, and something better adapted to the ice than a horse.

After they were a few minuets away from town, Lo grabbed on to Fengir's shaggy mane and pulled herself onto his back. When they arrived at the sanctuary Lo looked at the black stone tunnel, the orange glow coming from the end of the tunnel reminding her of the dream she had when she was younger. The Overlord was taking back her throne.

* * *

_A/N Ty for reading. Managed to get two chapters out this week as this one was meant to be chapter five but didn't fit plus the other allowed me to add a few new characters in._


	8. Chapter 7-Reclamation

Lo and Fengir stalked down the tunnel with her glow reflecting off the smooth black stone. She rested his hand on his back and ran it through the beasts shaggy fur, causing his tail to wag. She came to the opening and doubts filled her mind. Was she ready for this? Was she going to become the overlord, or whatever the female counter part was? Did she even want to become Overlord? She was going to rule anyway wasn't she? So what was the point of doing this? _Your friend is in trouble, that should be enough. But was it?_

* * *

The three men stood over Parcid in the dimly lit room, their rusted iron masks only half reflecting the dim candle light. They were brothers, not bound by blood, but by the tattoo that signified what they were. The skull with the serpent sliding into the right socket. The firsts mask was designed to look like that of a man with a beard and the mouth about to give a huff, his name was The Fisherman. The next was The Huntsman, his mask was made in the image of hound, but unlike the others his clothes were covered in mud. The final was The Guard, his mask was flat and unlike the other that wore the common furs that everyone wore in the city, he wore a set of thick armour made of soot blackened steel plates. The guard had been resting for a long time, encased in the black glacier as the world changed, waiting till he would be needed again, till the blood of the old lord returned. The others had arrived later, The Huntsman from Evernight forest and the Fisherman from wherever his travels took him.

"His outburst means everyone knows now." The Huntsman's voice reverberated through his mask.

"Will the people want him back?" The Fisherman asked.

The Guardsman merely dignified with a nod, the other two new he couldn't speak, it was a side effect of the ritual.

"From what I've seen the people hate the new lord, they'll see it as fate."

Another question entered the Fisherman's mind. "Will he want to rule?"

"He builds the house of the father, he seeks his legacy and the people shall follow him."

"We are assuming he wakes up, this is the succubus's work, and she isn't a normal one either."

"The power of royal blood is hard to judge, especially that of a queen."

* * *

Anise walked towards the build site, she shouldn't have walked off like that. She'd been in enough relationships to know that when someone said something stupid that the worst thing to do was to walk off. She looked over the stone building, the main wing was almost done, it would be possible to live there in a few weeks but the rest of the house was no where near finished.

"Parcid, are you in here?" There was no reply so she decided to move further into the house, she hadn't been in for a few weeks and she was massively impressed by the improvement. Instead of the wall less span it was last time, the area was now neatly divided with a large fireplace between the centre of two flights of stairs that gently curved to the upper level. She opened the door to the side and found what looked like a kitchen with several counter tops and a large stone oven at the end. There we're two doors leading off, one into the servants quarters, the other into a dining room. She carried on moving from room to room. She was actually incredibly impressed, the rooms were well set out and spacious and most had a fireplace to keep warm. He wasn't in the house, so Anise decided to search for him elsewhere.

* * *

Morg sat in Lot's room, she had left about an hour ago and he was currently drinking a fresh cup of tea. Lilith was sat opposite him, drinking her own. Neither of them spoke, both unwilling to break the awkward silence. She glanced at the time piece that rested on the large fireplace.

"The spell should be wearing off soon."

"Has anyone found the boy yet, he may get frostbite."

" I assume his little girlfriend will have found him, they share genuine affection for each other. It may help manipulate them the future."

"Then the plan may go ahead."

"I should be going now if I want an audience with the new Overlord."

* * *

Lo dug her hands into Fengir's fur to steady herself as the black stone platform drifted through the air above the lava. There was a loud thud as the stone fitted into the walkway the opening to the tower. As they walked Fengir's claws clicked against the obsidian floor. Statues of salamanders and faded green banners lined their way to the throne. Sitting on the chair was an elven woman. Her hair had faded to a coppery tone and small wrinkles has begun to form under her eyes.

"Gnarl, who is this?" She asked, her voice was filled with content that had developed over the years.

"She is the next Overlord." Gnarl walked out of the shadows and stood at Lo's side.

"But she's a girl, and an elf, the Overlord must be a man, not some fragile child."

"I am not a child, you old hag." Lo was tired of people assuming just because she was young that she was weaker than they were.

"How dare you." Fay shot a ball of light from her hand that Lo batted away without blinking. "I am Fay, mistress to the fourth Overlord, destroyer of the sanctuaries and you shall respect me."

Lo took her bow off her back and prepared a shot. "And I am Lo,_daughter_ of the forth Overlord and Fay, future queen of man, the fifth overlord or whatever the female equivalent is, and a very good shot with a bow." Fay's eyes widened as Lo let go of the string, but simply deflected the arrow

"Gnarl you cretin, I told you to kill her fifteen years ago."

Gnarl school his head and smiled. "You told me to get rid of her, I thought abandoning her in the jungle would suffice, although I did leave her in the middle of a road that I knew a carriage would be going over."

Fay's face filled with anger, she would kill Gnarl later, she had a family reunion to deal with now. She launched a barrage of fire at her daughter who strolled through it as if nothing happened. Lo let out another few arrows, each one getting closer to Fay's chest. Her mother had weekend with age and unlike Lo, her magic was running out. Then Fengir moved, his paws pounding against the smooth floor before leaping, his jaws clamping shut on the back of Fay's leg and then pulling, tearing her hamstring out with one fluid movement. She fell backwards as all the weight on her leg was unsupported and starters trying to scramble away from the beast.

"Please I can help, don't trust Gnarl, he'll betray you, he betrays everyone." Lo moved so she was stood over Fay, her bow pointing down. "Please, don't kill me."

Lo swung her bow so it smashed into Fay's face, knocking her unconscious. 'By the gods I thought she'd never shut up." She stepped away from the unconscious woman and started walking towards the exit. "Lock her up, make sure she can't escape. Will Parcid wake up ?"

" Yes. Anyway we must begin planning how to reclaim your lands."

Lo carried on walking. "No."

"What? You have to, it's what the overlord does."

"I'm not the Overlord. I don't want to be the overlord."

"Then why come down here?"

"To help a friend."

* * *

Parcid woke up and looked at the three masked men sitting around him. "Where am I?Who are you? What do you want from me."

The Huntsman rolled us his sleeve to reveal the tattoo. "You are safe, and we wish to help, my name, is the Huntsman, specialist in tracking and removing high profile targets. This is the Guard, his name is self explanatory but he cannot speak."

"The Fisherman, specialist in guerilla warfare, particularly traps."

"You still haven't told me what you want."

"With your outburst we now want what the half of Nordberg that have heard about who are want, for you to take your rightful place."

"What about the other half?"

"They will hear soon."

"So the people actually want me back?"

"Sort of. The people want rid of the current lord and to return to the time of your father, he is gone, so you seem like the best choice."

Parcid gave a laugh. "So let me get this straight, you want me, a son of a lord turned bandit, to reclaim my fathers seat and rule this frozen hole."

"Yes."

"And what makes you think I want to rule?"

"You seek his legacy, you build his house, you want to take what your father left for you. The Guard has been watching you for a long time, and helping with the building. We will help you take your rightful place, even if it costs us our lives."

"No, if you force me into power then the people will suffer, I don't want that. If we do this, we do this their way."

"And what is their way?"

"We make it the people's choice."


	9. Chapter 8- Khalenhad

_A/N Sorry for the fight between Lo and Fay being short, I tried to make it longer but it just didn't work. Anyway please feel free to write a review or follow the story, both help to keep me motivated._

* * *

Lilith was sat across from Gnarl, a look of pure anger on her face. "And you just let her go?"

"Have you seen the size of that wolf?"

"You were scared of a child and her dog. It's a good job he has more sense, if it was just you the plan would have failed instantly."

"The plan has failed."

"Not entirely, it may be salvageable."

"And how do propose we do that?"

" She will return eventually, they always do."

"They don't refuse in the first place normally."

"Maybe if we had placed her in a lower class family, then she would feel that she had suffered some injustice."

"No then we wouldn't be able to get the leaders to gather together in one place."

"They still will though, we can use that."

"Yes but there's no easy way to get into the city now, the Paladins monitor the area for any dark magic."

"You own a few brothels, how did you get your people in then?"

"I had a few distract the guards, but that was before the paladins and the buildings themselves are shielded from the search."

"What about the Red Dawn, surely they can help?"

"No the Paladins have started purging the safe houses that are spread throughout the city, they believe there is a rat."

"So all we can do is wait and see if she returns."

Lilith gave a nod. "What are we to do with Fay?"

"I thought you might like to deal with her, I remembered that you two had problems getting along."

She then gave a malicious smile. "Oh, Gnarl, you always know what to say to make a girl feel better. Where is she now?"

"Being dangled over the forge without the ability to move her arms or legs."

"And you always know the best wrapping paper. I'm going to play with my new toy."

After a short fly she arrived at the forge where Grubby was hitting an anvil with a hammer. There was no metal on it, it was just a force of habit. Gnarl was right, Fay was suspended above the forge, dangling upside. When Lilith arrived Fay tried to spit on her but it evaporated before it could even reach halfway across the molten metal. "Such polite manners, you know I could just drop you in metal, can elf's survive molten steel?"

" If you're going to kill me do it now succubus whore."

"No, I'd rather have some fun with you first. When you betrayed my people I started planning on how I would have my revenge. You took something important away from me so I thought I'd do the same. Then I thought whose important to you."

Fay gave out a laugh. "You obviously haven't thought this through then."

"Oh I have. You only care about yourself. Then I realised how much pride you took in the fact you're un-ageing."

"You can't take immortality away."

"You can, you just need to do a lot of research and have a lot of power."

"Which you don't have."

"No, but I found someone that was willing to let me borrow some." And with that she produced a gold mask from somewhere in her bag. "I doubt you know what this is, and I doubt you'll ever learn." A horde of shadow like hands flew from the eye sockets and circled Fay before grasping and forcing her mouth to open then one of them pushed itself down her throat. Lilith watched in amazement as an orb of light was forced out of her chest before the hands swarmed around it and crushed it.

"What have you done? What's wrong with me?" She was panting and the light she normally emitted had disappeared.

"Welcome to mortality. You're going to die, now that's a certainty."

Fay shook her head, this couldn't be possible, she could feel herself slowly being killed, not by a poison, but by time itself. And there was something new, pressing against the inside of her mind, a voice whispering inside her head, whispering the same phrase over and over again. _Remember me. Remember me. Remember ME!_

* * *

Lo collapsed on her bed after getting changed, she was tired, the fight had been short but blocking Fay's attacks seemingly effortlessly had taken a lot of effort. Fengir curled up at the foot of the bed, covering Lo's from foot to waste but not putting to much weight on her slender body. He flicked his tongue along his teeth, cleaning the mixture of Fay's blood and the seal's that he had killed on the way back. His nose and ears started to twitch and he raised his head eliciting a growl. Lo knew the sign after witnessing it for the first six months she had him, a stranger was at the door. She gave out a sigh, shuffling her feet from beneath the furred form that rested there and walked towards the door.

As she pulled open the door she threw her arms around the man that had knocked. It was Baristan. "It's nice to see you too Lo."

"So what brings you to Nordberg?" She asked, unlatching her arms from his knock.

"It's not just me, I'd like you to meet Sir Khalenhad, second in command of the Paladins." The man that stepped forward was... well the only way Lo could think to describe him was handsome, he looked to be in his mid-twenties, his features were stern, but held kindness that seemed to permeate the air around him and his flaxen blonde hair was tied in a top knot. Lo couldn't stop herself from blushing as he knelt down and kissed her hand. "There is another guest as well."

"And who might that be?"

"I'd like you to meet Queen Audrey Baleon, wife to the king and lady of Heaven's Peak."

The woman that came through was surprisingly plain, looks wise she was slightly above average, but apart from that she was normal. Her reaction to Lo's looks though was almost entirely different. Her jaw dropped and she clasped her hand to mouth as she let out a gasp. "I read a few reports on you but they do you no justice. I heard that elves were the fairest of the peoples, but did they have to make the comparison so easy."

Lo gave a slight curtsey. "My apologies your ladyship, my studies have been on magic and governance, and news travels slowly up here so I'm not really sure what to say."

"There's no need to apologise girl. I've come to escort you to the capital, my son and husband would love you to join his court."

Baristan gave a slight cough. " I'm sorry your ladyship, but Lo has known that this day would come for a long time, and what would come after it."

Audrey let out a sigh. "Oh well, I thought saying it like that was better than saying your father sold into an arranged marriage so you must come with us."

"Would you like to come in, I don't have any food but I do have some tea if you'd like a drink?"

The group came into Lo's room and the queen started looking over her belongings, her green eye's examining everything. "It must get cold at night for you to use a wolf skin as a cover." With that she sat on the bed and started stroking Fengir. His eyes opened slowly and Khalenhad pulled a staff off his back and a sword from the sheath on his hip.

"The beast is alive, move away."

Fengir padded off the bed, baring his fangs and lowering his body to the ground as he started to slowly circle the paladin. "Fengir, no, sit." Khalenhad looked confused as the wolf followed Lo's command and sat on it's haunches. "Sorry, he's a bit nervous around strangers."

Khalenhad still looked as confused as he put his weapons away and the queen resumed her examination. "Is this decorative?" She asked, holding the longbow that Lo had defeated Fay with mere hours ago.

"It depends."

"On what?"

"Is there any good game near Heaven's Peak?"

"No, but my husband has a small estate near Evernight where he goes hunting a few times a year."

"Then no."

"You're a very peculiar girl aren't you?"

"How so?"

"An elf girl, raised among human nobles, that has magic ,knows how to hunt, and has the loyalty of a giant wolf. Just one of those would have made you stand out from a crowd but all at once, you're one of a kind. Gentlemen, would you please leave us to discuss a few things."

* * *

Parcid walked out into the bright sunlight, the masked men following behind him before splitting up. He vaguely knew where he was, and could clearly see the college from here. This was the richer area of the city, where the lord's mansion was along with those who owned the smithies. He felt better now, but he'd have to find a way to make it up to Anise, but first he'd have to find her. He walked slowly, feeling the familiar crunch of snow under his feet and smiled, he felt warm again. For the first time without being inside the house or with Anise he felt warm. He should have told her or tried to follow her more but he thought that would make him look clingy. By the time he arrived at the college he saw Sir Baristan standing outside.

"Baristan, I assume Lo's leaving then?"

"She's to leave in a two days."

The man next to Baristan was slightly shorter than Parcid. "I thought the information was on a need to know basis."

"He's known longer than the girl has Khalenhad, he wasn't told but he found out any way."

"My name's Parcid." He offered to shake the man's hand but Khalenhad stopped and he gave a frown.

"Have you been near any strange objects recently? Or any people who could use dark magic."

"Not that I know of."

"Someone cursed you. Smells like" Khalenhad's nose started twitching almost frantically, "abomination, but there's something else, underneath, I'm not sure. Can you give me the buildings you've been in during the past few hours?"

"Er, the tavern."

"I shall start there then."

Baristan placed a hand on the shorter man's shoulder. "This is a royal visit, you can file a report back in the capital and send someone else to investigate."

"But they may leave."

"I'm sorry, what do you mean by abominations?"

Khalenhad started speaking as if reciting from a book. "The abominations are creatures whose essence has somehow absorbed a large amount of magical radiation, the first were created by the explosion of the tower heart approximately sixty years ago, the originals are mindless humanoids that wander the wasteland. Approximately thirty years ago it was discovered that those who were exposed to small amounts of magic exhibited strange abilities. The abominations must be purged due to their alliance to the overlord by order of the king ."

* * *

Lo took another sip of her tea as the queen carried on sketching. "Does your son know about this?"

"Yes, he's quite nervous, I thought a drawing might calm his nerves a bit."

"Does he feel anything else about the situation?"

"At first he was angry, then he became a bit deppresed as he had taken a liking to lady Elise's daughter. But now he's accepted the situation and sees it as his duty."

"Baristan talked to him didn't he?"

Audrey simply gave a nod.


	10. Chapter 9 - The Long Road

_A/N Can someone please write a new review._

Baristan threw Lo's small trunk into the carriage as Fengir watched. For some weird reason the wolf seemed to watch him whenever Lo wasn't around, the yellow eyes of the beast following his every move. Almost as if he was evaluating him, trying to find his weakness. Parcid was stood next to Anise, a slight smile spread across their faces. Baristan was placed in the room next to Anise's and judging by the amount of noise they had made last night, they had sorted everything out.

Lo came out with the Queen, both of them laughing, they had gotten along well. Lo quickly said her goodbyes before Audrey stopped in front not Parcid.

"I know you from somewhere. What's your name?"

"Parcid, I think you might have known my father."

"Really, what was his name?"

"Lokir Belmont."

"Did you say Belmont?"

"If I remember, you and your husband were at the execution, nothing like making a six year old boy watch his father being burnt alive."

"Your father was a traitor."

"My father was loyal, your husband was the traitor."

"My husband, was a revolutionary.'

"Merely another word for rebel."

The two were glaring at each other, but Parcid was remaining much calmer than Audrey with his voice remaining at the usual level whereas her's was getting louder. It took Anise's intervention to stop them. "Parcid, what you're saying is technically treason. I apologise your highness, but you must understand that under your husbands orders he had his eye cut out."

"His father supported a monster, and you expect me to forget that."

"Your father did as well, you cannot blame someone for the sins of their father."

Anise felt Parcid's grip tighten for a moment before he spoke. "My father committed no sins, he looked after his people better than this lord."

"Oh really, he created the abominations, men whose sole purpose was to kill, how was he a better ruler?"

"After attacks he repaired the people's houses instead of focusing on eating sweet meats."

"What damage are talking about?"

"Which gate did you enter through?"

"Western."

"Leave through the southern gate, that was where the main attack took place."

* * *

Lilith was angry again. Somehow Fay had escaped and neither her, Gnarl, Morg, or any of the other minions could work out how. "Was there a minion on guard?"

Both Gnarl and Morg were both tired of her questioning, she had asked this question more times than Morg could count, so somewhere over three. "Yes."

"And he somehow fell into the forge?"

"Yes."

"While she was still chained?"

"We don't know."

"So where is she now?"

Gnarl traced his finger over the map, following the lines that represented the tunnels. "She escaped at most two hours ago, meaning she is still in the tunnels or has escaped into the Nordberg sanctuary."

"Which is more likely?"

"We don't know, after you had your fun she became even more crazed than usual, whispering about the voice in her head, we literally have no ideas."

"Send out the browns then, the wolfs should be able to capture her."

"The spiders would be more suites to the tunnels."

"Send both of them out then, and the salamanders."

* * *

Baleon glanced over John, his son. He was normally proud of him, but what he had done recently, it would have to be hidden from his future bride.

"You drank the gods know how much, fondled the statue of the elven mother goddess and finished the night by pretending to collapse, just so you could look under the daughter of Lady Elise's skirt. What do you have to say for yourself?"

"I'm sorry, I don't remember anything."

Baleon's was breathing deeply, when had his son turned into this. In reality this was the only incident. John had no idea why his father was acting like this, he'd heard stories about a few of the things his father had done and this seemed like a smaller incident, but apparently he had responsibilities, he was meant to set an example and bring the people together with this marriage. Baleon simply let out a sigh, " We'll deal with this when your mother gets back, speaking of her she sent you this." He pulled out the letter with the drawing and pushed it over the desk. John folded the paper and placed it in his pocket before leaving. He closed the door and sighed.

"How'd it go?" Asked Drez. He was a dwarf, the son of the ambassador. He was a drinking, fighting, loud mouth with a tendency to wear chain mail and constantly carry a bearded axe. In many ways he was a paragon of dwarven culture.

"No shouting isn't always a good sign." Said John's other friend, Tristen. He was human, his father was the lord of The Mellow hills.

"I have no idea, he says mother sent this though." He waved the parchment in the air before Drez jumped and snatched it out his lands.

"Not bad for an elf lass." He commented, looking at the drawing. "I don't know how you humans can be attracted to anyone taller than five foot, I mean what are you supposed to do with all that height?"

Tristen grabbed the parchment next, he gave a slight smile before licking his lips. "I can think of a few things."

"It would be nice to look at the letter that was meant for me."

"You can have your turn after."

John finally snatched the letter and looked at the picture. "Mother did always make people look better in her work, you've seen the one of my father haven't you?"

Tristen gave out a laugh. "He may have looked like that at some point, just not recently."

* * *

Audrey looked of the carriage window, Parcid hadn't lied. The damage to this part of the city still looked fresh, despite the battle being more than twenty years ago. Apart from now the queen had only seen the richer parts of the city. The buildings here were either temporary wooden structures with furs stretched over them, or made of stone but had large chunks missing from them and would collapse soon.

"Why aren't they being helped?"

"Parcid said that the new lord's busy having the stone masons build his bathhouse."

"I assume that's a joke."

"That's what I said but he told me it takes a long time to get to the underground hot springs."

"But the people need help."

"Yet the man who should won't."

"Then what can be done?"

"Find a new leader."

"You speak of rebellion to a queen."

"I speak of doing the right thing."

"Ah the right thing, it differs to each person. Tell me, why does your friend think he'll do a better job than this one?"

"The current one spends the people's money on himself, it's been twenty years and the buildings haven't even started to be repaired yet. What makes you think he can do worse?"

"His father willingly served the overlord."

"But he looked after his people didn't he?"

"I suppose. "

* * *

Blaze, was a red, and like his brothers his IQ was somewhere below fifty.

"Why we sent after pretty elf lady?"

"Gnarl say she dangerous, say we need to kill her know."

"Why though, she not been dangerous for long time why now?"

"Me no ask, whenever ask elf lady hit me."

"But no elf lady to hit now, so why not ask?"

The other minion gave a shrug. "Me think demon lady might hit instead."

"Have to try though."

"No me don't, better safe than hit."

"Me ask next time, demon lady seem nicer than elf."

"And that lie is what makes her strong." Blaze and his friend looked behind them to see Fay.

"Get her."

"But we're after pretty elf lady, she not pretty."

Fay was angry. She'd always taken pride in her appearance, this comment had caused her already dwindling sanity to evaporated. All that was left were two small piles of flesh, and a thin layer spread on the walls. The voice in her head hadn't lied. No, it had told her how to escape. It was right. Instead of the shouting there was just a whisper now, directing her. It had more of a plan than she did, and to her ears, or wherever it was speaking into, it seemed like a good one.

* * *

Lo rested her chin in her arm as she stared at the snow covered fields. She had always hated carriage rides and this one was no exception. It was incredibly dull.

"I understand that you never liked carriages. I like to think of it as a way to relax and watch the world go by." Lo couldn't help sigh as the queen spoke, she couldn't stand her anymore. She was just too nice to her. "I'm sorry if this question is a bit awkward but you still have your maidenhood?"

Lo was finally able to tolerate the woman again and replied with a nod. "I assume my father was given a good price for it."

"You have some resentment towards him?"

"No little girl likes to be told that they don't have a choice in who they marry."

"Most little girls dream of being princesses."

"I wasn't one of them, when I found out I slapped Baristan until he agreed to find me an archery tutor, it was more a spur of the moment thing than actually wanting any training. He was more of a father than my actual one. At least I saw him regularly."

"He had to work, all nobles do, between governing, attending court and dealing with dignitaries, I'm surprised my husband make time for his family.

"My father wasn't king though, he was lord of a few towns in the jungle, he had plenty of spare time, just not for me."

"Why do you keep on looking at this like it's a bad thing, my marriage was arranged but we love each other, if you give him a chance and get to know him you might feel the same."

"Had you met your husband before?"

"Well, we'd met a few times and there was a certain ... attraction, maybe the odd kiss, and that night when we found out that we were engaged."

"You make it sound so easy, you and your husband already loved each other, I'm meant to meet someone and instantly fall in love with someone."

"Not instantly, my husband found a way to place you in court without it seeming to strange, how does the position of court sorceress sound?"

"How's my room?"

"Large, lots of room for books and other things, double bed, nice view of the city. My husband would like the relationship between you and my son to seem like it develops naturally, so you can take your time with it."

"That's not how love works, you were lucky enough to be in love with the person you got married, neither of us have a choice but at least you knew it was the right thing for you."

* * *

_A/N By the way Lo will be dragged back into the overlord situation, the main question is how willingly?_


	11. Chapter 10- Formal Introductions

Fay looked at herself in the mirror, she left the tunnels a few hours ago and was currently standing in the the ruins of the imperial city. She was afraid. Her hair had lost its sheen and was now a dull, coppery colour with grey streaks running through it, and she could already see wrinkles beginning to form under her eyes. And the voice, it was still there whispering at the back of her head. It had started repeating itself again. Remember me. Remember me. Those were the words, over and over and over again, never faltering, never stopping, just whispering though. She collapsed and pressed her hands to her head. It had been there for a week. And she was sick of it.

"Get. Out. Of my head." She slammed her fist against the glass and watched as the cracks spread through it. Something in her mind snapped. In each remaking surface she saw a different reflection, some older versions of her, others of before the overlord corrupted her. But the central one was the most disturbing. Her face had been replaced with a gold mask, and she had tusks jutting from the corners of her mouth.

The voices message changed again, but this time to a laugh, a single mocking laugh.

* * *

Lo decided that she liked Heaven's Peak, it was much warmer than Nordberg, seal nuggets weren't a staple in people's diets and it was easier to bathe in privacy. She was supposed to be introduced to the king, and his son, in a few hours so she had decided to unpack her belongings and try to make herself look a bit more presentable.

She was currently lying down in the bath, relaxing in the hot water. She let out a sigh as there was a knock at the door and quickly wrapped a towel around herself. That was another thing she liked, everything here was soft and comfortable, not like the itchy clothes purely designed for warmth the majority of people had worn in Nordberg. She pulled the heavy oak door open and peered out into the corridor, she glanced left, then right. Nothing.

"Down here miss."Lo looked down to see a dwarf standing there.

"Sorry, I'm not use to being around dwarfs."

"No fuss lass, the future king and his lord of the farmland friend were to nervous to see what you looked like so they sent me, I'm Drez by the way."

"Nice to meet you I suppose, so what will you say when you report back then?"

"That you wear towels and don't know when to either invite someone inside or tell them to wait while you get dressed."

Lo had forgotten that she was only wearing a towel, she was used to there being a cold gust of air in Nordberg and not the warmth that was here. "Sorry, would you mind waiting."

"Nah', you get yourself dressed and I'll wait here for you."

Lo gave a slight smile and closed the door, about fifteen minutes later she reappeared she was wearing a pale blue dress with lace sleeves that just hid the vine like patterns on her arms, a silver bracelet and necklace with a small emerald set in the centre. She snapped her fingers and Fengir walked from his position on the balcony, he was unused to the heat and spent most of the day lying in the way of a breeze.

"You clean up well. Nice wolf by the way." Drez commented as she came out. She gave an appreciative smile before he pulled a small, bronze flask from somewhere out of his chain mail coat and took a long gulp.

"Are you drinking?"

"Its only whiskey."

"It's ten in the morning and your drinking whiskey!"

"I've got stronger stuff than that if you want some? Seriously compared to the stuff my kind brew, this is rather light."

"No thanks, I don't think meeting the king tipsy is the best idea."

"Suit yourself lass, the call it liquid courage for a reason though. I'm going to report to mister fancy pants and the lord of the farmers, so I'll see you when you're introduced to the court then." He started walking before she could reply, his short leg's meant he wasn't moving that fast, but Lo didn't want to seem patronising.

He kept on walking till he was at the royal quarter, entering John's room without knocking.

Tristen was there leaning against the wall while the prince's head was in his hands. "What am I supposed to do, I can't back out of this whole marriage thing."

"You're not seeing the whole benefits, even if she looks worse than in the drawing she's going to look like that forever."

"Looks aren't everything you know."

"It depends on how good the looks are actually."

Drez cleared his throat and gave a mocking salute. "Reporting for duty sirs."

John looked up from his hands. "So, what's she like?"

"Well there are a few problems, first, she's over five foot tall, second, she's elvish."

Tristen put his palm to his face. "We sent a dwarf, to get an opinion on an elf. We really did not think that through."

"How did she look though?"

"I don't know, whenever I looked up there were always two things in the way." Drez gave a a laugh and Tristen's lips curved into a smile.

"Why am I still friends with you two?" John asked.

"My amazing wit and ability to stay sober after drinking more pints than you two combined. Not sure about him though."

* * *

Lo had never been so nervous in her life. She had no idea why, they were going to get married even if she made a bad impression they were going to get married anyway, but she thought if he liked her things might go much more smoothly. She was pacing outside the throne room, she was set to be introduced in five minutes. To her it didn't seem like a big deal, but apparently it was, she was the first elf, the first magic user, and the first to take the title of court sorceress.

There was a sudden fanfare of trumpets and Lo joined the procession. From what she saw, virtually all of them were men and most of them were in their mid-forties, a few were in their twenties but she was the youngest of them. When they walked into the room there was a massive row of seats lining the walls and then a few rows in front with each one stepped so the person behind could see over the top. Lo was slightly shocked when she saw where her seat was. Second away from the throne. She was sat next to Drez who was closer towards the exit, and a girl she didn't recognize. There was a murmur among the crowd, discussing pleasantries and other things before the more formal event began.

"How are you doing?" The girl enquired.

"Fine, how are you?"

"I am well, I assume your the sorceress?"

"Yes."

"You have no idea who I am do you?"

"Not a clue."

"I'm Emily ,we're going to be sisters in law by the way."

There was another fanfare and the room fell silent before half of the occupants stood up and began leaving. "What's going on?"

"If we don't have business or aren't on the King's council we resume our original duties. I'm basically here to dress up the place, but you're going to have to stay with the whole formal introduction." She started leaving and Lo felt her nerves become even tenser. Drez gave her a nudge and offered the bottle and she promptly shook her head.

There was a third and final fanfare as a crowned man walked in, followed by Audrey and a young man that Lo assumed was their son. _Not bad, a bit of stubble, but otherwise... _she shook her head, snapping out of her day dream.

"Lords and ladies, in the name of prosperity and unity, this court is now in session. I would like to introduce the newest member of my council, Lo Crasius, court sorceress, first to take the title and first elf to help with the royal affairs." The king gave a grand gesture towards hear and Lo felt every eye in the room fall on her.

There was a drawn out pause until Drez gave her a nudge. "Your supposed to say thanks, kissing his arse is optional."

"Thank you, my lord."

She let out a sigh of relief as Baleon resumed speaking and everyone's eyes drifted of her, apart from one set.

John couldn't believe what he was seeing, at first he thought she must be a succubus, in his mind no one could have been that naturally beautiful, then he had heard her voice, sweet and soft but she was cracking from being nervous, then he had noticed that she glowing, the light softer than her voice and only noticeable by looking at the shadows that fell around her chair. In his mind, she was perfect.

* * *

Parcid was pacing back and forth in one of the ruined buildings, one of his eyes constantly focused on the governor's mansion. The people had made it perfectly clear to the lord that they wanted him to step down and for Parcid to take his place, but he had refused. Now there was only one path left. Revolution. The Huntsman walked to his side.

"Three swords from each shipment as you requested, and a letter to each saying the next will include the amount borrowed doubled."

"No killing unless absolutely necessary, we're doing this as peacefully as possible."

"What about the guards?"

"We'll keep them distracted, you and the fisherman grab the rich bastard, put him on a boat to somewhere far away, and then come back."

"Got it, we'll be rid of him by the eleventh strike from the clock tower."

After walking downstairs the two split off with Parcid moving to the head of a crowd with The Guard tailing. As Parcid gave a gesture the mob followed him, each with a blunted sword in their hands. Within the hour they had reached the large house that crowned the hill at the centre of Nordberg. They just stood there, the swords they held pointed towards the ground as group after group of guards came, neither side moving.

"What's going on here?" One of them yelled.

"Return to your homes." Another shouted, his armour was more elaborate than the others, marking him as the captain.

The person on the left of Parcid raised his sword but Parcid pushed it down. "We will not return, we will stand where we want." He glanced towards the clock, five minutes.

"Lay down your arms and return home or we will use force."

"On peaceful citizens? That does not seem like something a guard would do."

"You are armed, and therefore cannot be peaceful.'

"Our swords are blunt, purely for defence."

"From what?"

"You."

"Arrest that man, I want him in chains."

Four guards moved forward but Parcid remained still, only The Guardsman moved to his side. "That's not going to happen." He grabbed a second sword from one of his followers and dropped into a guard stance. He glanced to the clock, three minutes.

The first guard moved forward, trying to grab one of the swords but ended up with having the pommel of the other smashing into his forehead, knocking him unconscious. A second charged, a fist raised before having The Guardsman slam a shield into his gut.

The other two drew their own swords and slowly circled their targets until Parcid lunged forward, striking one of their shoulder's and forcing them to drop their weapon.

There was another shout from the captain as more guards poured forward surrounding the pair. Parcid and his ally went back to back, revolving slowly so they could see each guard. Parcid heard a bell chime, one. The first guard moved forward and he quickly dispatched him with a kick to the chest. Two, a pair of them started flailing at The Guardsman, there was a slight ringing noise as their clumsy blows bounced off his armour and he started to return his attacks, each precise and felling the pair along with a few others.

Parcid felt sorry for his would-be attackers. The lord had scraped away the budget for security as well, the men were poorly trained, poorly equipped and had no where near enough man power.

Neither side moved for a quarter of a minute, and Parcid started to smile. "Lay down your arms and you'll keep your jobs." The eleventh chime had passed.

Suddenly the captain forced his way through. "What are you talking about."

"The people accept me and your lord has gone on a long trip very far away."

"Do not accept that order, apprehend him."

Parcid was joined by The Huntsman and The Fisherman at that moment. " I thought the desert was far enough away. Will this man be trouble?"

* * *

_A/N thanks for reading and a special thanks to undead3 for the reviews. Oh and over five hundred views, yay._


	12. Chapter 11- Informal Introductions

Lo was happy, for the first eight years of her life she had lived in the humid heat of the jungle, the other seven in a frozen land where it snowed every other day. Where she was now though, it was pleasant all year round, without mosquitoes biting or wolfs howling to keep her awake. It was strange here, so peaceful and relaxing. She was lying in one of the gardens, her head resting on Fengir's stomach as she read one of the books she had brought from a little shop she's found. It said it was full of magical artifacts, but as far as Lo could see, the small tome she held in her hand was the only object of any significance, and the shop owner was selling it for less than a silver.

It spoke of strange symbols that primitive magic used to focus energy. They had been found inscribed into ancient weapons, buried deep beneath the sands of the desert. To her it was interesting, some of the designs mirrored those that ran along her arm, others were swirls and spirals and the final set were cruel, talon like marks, carved into ebony sword and only found in the southern most ruins before any who went further in were never heard from again. If she didn't have other matters she would have liked to take an expedition beyond the point, she now envied Anise for still being able to.

It had been a few days since she had been in court and hadn't seen John since, Drez on the other hand, he was becoming a good friend of hers, it was a surprise to everyone that a dwarf and an elf were getting along so well, and gave the king a lot more hope that the alliance would work. She heard footsteps and looked to see a young man walking towards her. _Cocky, confident, far too self assured for his own good._

"Hello gorgeous, my names Tristen."

Lo remained silent and continued reading her book, giving Fengir a slight pat.

"Hello." He gave her leg a slight nudge with his foot.

She folded the corner of her page before closing the book. "What is it?"

"Is that how you speak to the son of a lord?"

"No, it's how I speak to people who think that everybody should fall in love with them instantly, I don't like that."

"And why shouldn't people fall in love with me instantly?" He gave a confident smile that made Lo want to punch him.

She slowly pulled herself up and noticed that his gaze had shifted from her face to her breasts. "My eyes are up here."

"While that is my second favourite area of you, I like to, admire all parts."

"Is that all you see me as?"

"No, those are number three, this " his hands fell to her hips and gave her rear an squeeze "is my favourite."

Lo couldn't take anymore of him dissecting her appearance and smashed her knee into his groin. "Like I said, I really don't like your type, it's almost as if your over compensating for something." She said as he collapsed, trying to protect himself from a blow to the same area. She snapped her fingers and a small trail of lightning started to dart between her fingers. "Now, you will not touch me unless I give you permission, the same applies for looking at anything below my neck, do you understand?"

Tristen stayed silent until the lightening struck to the side of his head, leaving a small crater as another bolt appeared in Lo's hand. His response was a whimper. "Yes."

Lo turned around walked away, and yet again his eyes fell to her hips, swinging naturally as she walked. "I told you not to look there, Fengir, deal with him please, no bleeding though."

* * *

Anise looked at the ring on her finger, when Parcid had taken the mansion he had found that the old lord had been storing a large quantity of the tax that was meant to help the people rebuild, there was more than enough to pay for the stone masons, and new guards, and a new orphanage, and to renovate the old orphanage, then finally he'd put a bit to the side for the wedding. It may have been slightly corrupt, but it was no where near the amount of the man he'd removed. She just couldn't look away from it, it was a band of gold with a single diamond set into it.

She was lying on the bed in Parcid's house, facing away from him with his hands holding her close. "Are you sure it has to be you, surely someone else would be able to convince the royals, you could stay here." He murmured.

"The queen's going to be the main problem, she isn't particularly fond of you if you hadn't recognized."

" You can't exactly argue with the results we've been getting."

"She's a noble, she'll find a way."

"You do realise after the wedding you'll technically be a noble."

"My mother and grandmother were both thieves, that instantly removes me from the whole arrogant, smug thing."

"What about me?"

"Don't worry love, the whole being a bandit cancels it out."

"That was a one time event."

"Four years is not a one time event."

"Okay, one very long time."

* * *

" I don't know what you're laughing at, she's out of your league." Tristen said. He told Drez and John what had happened and neither could stop laughing.

"What so you mean out of my league, I'm going to be king so the only girl that fits into that category would be a goddess."

"Considering he's still covering his groin, it seems her knee may be the hammer of the gods."

"I suppose you could do better dwarf?"

"Well, considering future king here is too scared to talk to his future bride, she floored you, and she's not hurt me so far, I think I'm doing rather well."

"Oh, she also said I might be overcompensating for something, what does that mean?"

John fell silent as Drez burst into another laugh, after fifteen seconds he fell silent." Do you honestly not know?"

Neither of them gave any reply.

"She's implying that you have a small cock and are trying to make up for it."

"She can't say that about me, I'm the son of a lord."

"You're looking at her the wrong way."

"Actually Tristen's been looking at her every way."

"No, you think that because she's a lady, she's been raised to be polite to everybody, but what you're forgetting is for the last seven years, she's been raised among what you think of as the common folk."

"What do you mean?"

Drez put his hand to his face and started to think. Things with the dwarves were simpler, don't put your pick axe in your friend's wifes, and no mining his metal and you were fine. Humans though, they had all these complicated, like flirting and romance. And flowers, they weren't practical and took up water, although up here they didn't have to pump water to the bottom of the mine, and they didn't have a mine, they built there homes on the surface.

"Look at it like this, not everything in the mine is iron."

"I don't see how this relates to the situation."

"Just because a person should have a certain personality it doesn't mean they have to."

"So you're saying that just because she's a noble doesn't mean she acts politely to everyone."

"See, future king boy gets it. She'll appreciate subtlety, unlike the other noble girls she's never been taught to think that men are better than her, never got that part of your society, both genders mine ore just as well, so she's not afraid to kick your arse if she wants to."

"So how do I do this? Without getting my _arse _kicked." John asked

"You do realise your asking a dwarf for tips on seducing an elf?"

"Better than asking for tips from you farmland. Don't act like just because your male means you own her, chances are she could rip your head off before you get close to her."

"You really know how to ease people's nerves."

"I could have said rip your bollocks off if that would have made you feel any better."

* * *

Khalenhad walked through the street, his sword still dripping with blood. The red dawn were becoming desperate, striking random targets in the night and fleeing as the sun rose, he wanted to know why. Each night their attacks became more and more irregular, now it was down to one every fortnight, still higher than he'd like but lower than when they'd started the purge to force them to the surface.

Then there was the high amount of tips on the cult's Safe houses. It all just felt to suspicious. Like someone inside the group wanted rid of them. And finally there was the group that had attacked him tonight. Their robes were a stark white, stained with the blood of their victims. And all were woman, a stark contrast to the dawn in almost every aspect, including their methods. Whereas the dawn either hunted paladins as a form of revenge, or women who were later found raped and murdered. The newcomers however, were the opposite, only targeting men, the bodies never found. The only reason he'd been attacked was due to interrupting an attack.

He'd searched the bodies and found a single note.

_Hello Khalenhad,_

_ I've been watching you for some time and I thought you might like the location of another safe house, the map's on the other side of this letter._

_ Yours sincerely, V._

The newcomers had been watching him, and willing to sacrifice their own men, or women,merely to give him a note. That made him angry. The sender knew his patrol, knew when he'd be there, and willing to sacrifice the most important resource they had, or the attackers were willing to sacrifice themselves. At first it had seemed like a gang war, the women of the city giving the men to the same treatment that they were recieving. This had changed that.

* * *

Lo was enjoying her breakfast, another thing she liked was easy access to fruit that wasn't preserved in some way. But there was a downside to her new residence, people constantly wanted to talk to her. First there was Drez, him she didn't mind, then there was Emily, then the queen, and then the near infinite range of nobles that were interested in befriending the first elf to join their ranks. It was incredibly tiring. Then there was yet another knock on the door.

It was John, holding a small bouquet of flowers. "Hello, I'm John, the ."

"I know who you are." Lo interrupted.

"These are for you." She quickly took them and placed them in a vase which she had brought from the supposed magic shop.

"Thank you."

"I thought that since you're new here I could show you around."

"Like a date?"

"What? No... well yes."

" Sorry but I've been here for four days so it's a bit late."

"Erm, sorry just I thought that, well you know what's going to happen so we should maybe try to make this work."

"Ah, that's sweet, just next time try to find something for us to do."

"Well, there's a tournament in honour of my fathers birthday, I'll be competing but you could sit with my family and if I loose I'll sit with you."

"Being slightly ignored by my future husband, it's like you're already king."


	13. Chapter 12- Unknown suprises

Khalenhad meditated on the events of last week. Several other members of the order had also reported the newcomers, all their corpses found with a note stating a location of the cults location, and all of them being true. Someone wanted rid of the cult. Too many suspects to find out who, only the initial V. That left people who names began with the letter, or anyone with the code name V. So far he'd removed the male population so that left roughly fifty percent of the population left. "Talk about a needle in a haystack."

There there was also the encroaching presence, moving towards the city at a frighteningly quick pace. The other paladins had sensed it too. They didn't want to scare anyone so they'd kept quiet. That and when asked they actually had no idea what it was and it would be seen as embarrassing if they weren't seen as the source of magical knowledge in the city, apart from Lo of course. The girl was outshining them in that aspect. It was acceptable, she was meant to be the leading magical authority, but the fact she was so young. Her intellect could grow easily but the paladins had little time to research and were facing difficulties.

Between the two cults, hunting down the abominations, and removing the corruption from the wasteland, the order was stretched thinly. The king resurrected the order in response to the abominations, but it seemed with an problem even slightly related to magic was given to them.

Then finally there was the man preaching that the abominations weren't monsters. Normally this wouldn't be a problem, but this time people were listening. The man was said to be blessed by the gods, healing people and curing disease that the healers couldn't, a feat only possible with magic but when the paladins checked to see if he had it in any form , there was nothing, not even the trace amount that everyone had picked up from the explosion of the tower heart. They called him the Prophet.

* * *

Lo had stopped listening to Emily a few minutes ago. Somehow the girl managed to change the conversation back to fashion or the huge amount of suitors she had that Lo was sure were imaginary at first, but then the princess had pointed out the people that were staring at them, then when she'd left Lo had another glance and noticed they were still staring in her direction. That was another thing she found annoying. In Nordberg the men had preferred girls to be practical, and actually wanted to find out what they were like. Here though, life was easy enough that practicality wasn't important, and men continued to glance at her when they thought she wasn't looking. It was incredibly annoying.

She finished drinking the water she had in her small cup, before snapping her fingers and a tendril of clean water came out of the muddy earth to the side of the platform and went into her cup. There was a sudden round of applause and Lo glanced around, noticing the people were aiming it at her and what she had done with water. It was one of the simplest spells created, separating one substance from the other. Creating water though was impossible. The first rule of magic was creation of anything cannot be done, only altering the way the world flowed was possible.

"Anyone ask to spend some private time with you yet?" Emily asked nonchalantly before taking her seat.

"You know I wouldn't be able to." Lo said sadly, she did like John, but she also liked choice.

"It's not like they know that."

"A few days before I came to the capital a lord came asking me if he'd like to sell my children, he knew well enough."

"Sorry, that was one of my father's tests, he wanted to know if you were greedy enough to sell them for personal gain."

Lo let out a sigh. "What was the point of the test if I'm going to marry your brother anyway?"

"He wanted to know how much power he should give you."

"I didn't know I had any power."

"As the court sorceress you have one vote on the kings council, he has two votes and his family members have one each. Your votes will combine to give you the same power as him."

"So politically I have the same power as the king?"

"You will do yes." There was a burst of noise from a group of trumpeters. "The games are about to begin." Lo let out another sigh, she hated trumpets, they played them constantly at any event that involved the royals. When she was queen she was going to have a better instrument to announce her arrival, like the previous trumpeters' skulls. Lo shook her head, where had that thought come from.

* * *

Khalenhad crouched behind a small boulder, four other paladins copying his action but in their own hiding places. He looked at the small valley formed in the earth, analysing the area. There was a set of tents, he counted six, each large enough for twelve men. The tents were set out in a defensive formation, a pyramid with the single tent closest to the natural wall formed by the dish shape of a set of rocks. He gave a small series of hand gestures and his group moved forward.

From his new position he had a better view of the area, despite the positioning of the tents there were no visible patrols. They could still feel the presence so the camp wasn't abandoned, that set him on edge, the owners were either cocky, or watching his men approach. He paused for a second before giving another hand gesture. No movement. He gave it again. Still no movement. He glanced to where one of his squad should have been.

"Shit." He whispered under his breath, they had gone. He heard the crunch of a leaf and raised his sword in time to stop a pommel strike to his head before sweeping his staff along the ground, causing his attacker to jump. The figure was clad in leather armour, coloured grass green with grey patches dotted over it, a hood drawn over its head and a mask covering the bottom half of its face. It was holding an elegant steel blade, thin and curved and dotted with ruins along the flat and the holder gave it a few twirls as if to display that it knew where he was looking.

"Who are you?" He demanded.

Before a reply was given he was surrounded, more identically armed attackers closing in on him till the only area they weren't blocking off had the boulder in place.

"Drop your weapons." He couldn't tell which one was speaking, the masks made sure of that.

"If I am to die I will do so fighting."

"The halfbreed has guts."

One of them stepped forward and the rest backed away, leaving a large gap. The one that had moved closer threw its sword to the ground and pulled the bow of its back, using it as an impromptu staff. Khalenhad threw his own sword to the ground, if he was going to fight he would do so honourably.

The pair fought for the best part of fifteen minuets, whereas he has been trained to hold his position when fighting his attacker seemed to be dancing around him, flowing like a gentle breeze yet still delivering harsh strikes. Neither managed to land a blow until Khalenhad delivered a feint then struck in a different direction.

He paused as his attacker gave a moan. He paused, the voice was female. There was nothing in the paladin code about this. It said you should avoid combat with the fairer sex, but what if you had no choice. His chain of thought was interrupted when his attacker gave a low sweeping strike, knocking his legs out from under him before kneeling down and pressing the string of the bow against his throat.

"You will surrender, now." It was not a question.

* * *

Lo watched as John dismounted yet another knight with the wooden lance. It had taken a while, but she was starting to enjoy herself, although it may have been that she had drunk a few cups of wine. She may have been tipsy but Emily was worse, struggling to walk in a straight line without help, which she was receiving from one of the men that had lost to Tristen. That boy made her skin crawl. It was time for the final fight, John against Tristen.

Before the fight commenced, there was another barrage of noise from the trumpets making Lo sigh. She supposed since it was in his honour that Baleon would give a speech.

"Congratulations, you represent the finest knights in the realm, before the final joust you must both state your desired reward, and if it is in my power you shall receive it.

John was the first to speak. "Nothing my lord."

"I assume you choose the same." Although the kingdom was relatively young, denying the king's gift was a tradition.

"Actually I would like to choose my prize."

The crowd fell into a hush as the king spoke. "What is it you want then?"

"To share a night in the court sorceress's bed."

Lo started coughing and choking on her wine. She looked around, every eye was either on her, the king or Tristen. "He can't do that can he?"

Baleon sent the pair back to their tents before Emily leaned over slightly. "He can actually. What's the problem though, he's not that bad, good looks, good at fighting, fathers a major lord."

"But what about your brother?"

"Tristen doesn't know about it."

"No, I mean why isn't this bothering you when I'm going to marry him?"

"Should it?"

"Yes."

"Everybody should have their fun, even if for one night."

"But he's an arrogant, smug and he's in love with himself."

"So he's self-confident."

"There's self-confidence, then there's him. I don't have time to talk, I need to go talk to your brother and tell him that if he doesn't win I'll kill him."

"Maybe offering a reward would work better, if you know what I mean."

Lo decided she was sighing too much and frowned instead. She walked over the muddy ground, half falling over as her heels got caught in the mud. That was another thing she hated down here, everything was either good looking or comfortable, but rarely both, and whoever had bought these shoes thought she prefers the first. They had heels. Apparently she was a natural and she looked elegant, but she couldn't run in them and were only good on stone floors. She hated whoever had the brilliant idea of sticking miniature stilts on shoes and then forcing women to wear them.

When she finally reached the tent, the black leather was half covered in mud, and she'd almost fallen over three times. She brushed the cloth door to the side and stepped in. The room was simple, a layer of cloth had been placed over the ground to keep objects and people's shoes mud free while they were in there. An empty armour stand stood at the back of the tent while a set of clothes rested on a table next to it. John was stood in the centre of the room, pulling splinters out of his leather tunic.

"Hello Lo, are you enjoying yourself?"

"I was, up until that pervert announced he wants to sleep with me."

"Tristen's not that bad."

"You need to tell him that we're going to be married."

"We, won't need to when I win."

"If you win. You have to tell him, I am not going to sleep with him."

John gave a gulp. "He already knows."

"What?"

"When I first found out, I was a bit depressed and he helped me through it."

"Anyone else know, perhaps the lord of the desert? Maybe the boy who empties the chamber pots? Oh, next you'll tell me Drez knows, he's a friend of yours isn't he?"

"No and no."

"That was only two. Are you saying Drez knows?"

"Maybe."

"Drez knows!"

John had never felt more fear in his life. The dwarf's earlier comment about having his head ripped off seemed to be real. He took a single deep breath. "Don't worry, no one else knows a thing, no one else will be told until it's official."

He moved his hand to stroke her cheek but she caught his wrist in her own. "You will win or the gods know I may actually sleep with him."


	14. Chapter 13- The games we play, pt1

Khalenhad's eyes drifted open, after he'd surrendered his attacker had pressed the string against his throat until he'd fallen unconscious. He was currently sat at a table, his hands tied behind his back. Across the other side, was a man. His armour was made of small silvery scales with gilded leafs inscribed into the shoulder plates and a large fur cloak draped over them. His hair was a deep red that reminded him of the elf he had escorted to the capital, his eyes however where a deep green compared to her grey.

"What is your purpose here?" Khalenhad half growled.

"Calm down, we do not intend on harming you." His voice was impassive with no hint of warmth.

"Then why am I tied down?"

"I apologize, we thought that if you woke up you may be hostile towards us."

"And you thought that removing my ability to fight would make me trust you?"

"Yet again I am sorry, Mirah, remove his bonds please." Khalenhad felt the rope on his arms drop to the floor and looked at the woman that he had fought earlier, her mask was at her throat and she was smiling.

"Why did you attack us?"

"We were unsure of your purpose. Why did you come here?"

"The order sensed a large magical presence, we were sent to investigate. Now, why did you come here?"

"We seek to join the kingdom."

"Why?"

"That is not how this game works, a question for a question, an answer for an answer."

"Then ask."

"Is the court sorceress truly an elf?"

Khalenhad gave a nod. "Why are you interested in her?"

The man brushed the hair back from his ear, showing a prominent point. "My name is Oberon. We need to know if your people accepted our kind or are still trying to hunt us down. Why are you answering my questions so freely?"

Khalenhad paused for a moment, he wasn't sure himself. "I am unsure. Why are you answering mine?"

"It is customary, among our kind."

"Our kind?"

Oberon started to scratch his chin."Do you not know of your parents?"

"I was raised by the priesthood, so no."

"You are a halfbreed."

"Of what?"

"Our kind, and the humans." Khalenhad noticed the man smiled slightly. It was disconcerting the away he was trying to hide it.

"Your people have been hidden from humanity for more than eighty years, it makes no sense."

The elf let out a sigh. "The recent times have not been the brightest for our kind, the death of Fay started a long chain of our sanctuaries being burnt by the overlord, it sped up when the humans fully submitted. It is likely that during the sacking of one, some of the overlords men became, there's no polite way of saying this but the chances are she was a victim of rape."

Khalenhad froze. He'd never been one to deny obvious, it was part of the reason he chose to become a paladin instead of a priest, that and he'd never really had faith in the gods. And he liked having evidence to prove things, so far there was none. "Prove it."

Oberon was tired, human lives were short enough and they seemed to turn everything into a constant struggle. It was pointless. "It will be difficult, your blood favours humanity, we had thought of you as one of us before we saw you. The only way to prove to a human is through magic, but our magic users are are coming in a later contingency, but when we reach the capital we can share the spell with the sorceress and she can prove it, but until then there is nothing we can do."

Khalenhad finally remembered why he had been sent here. "What is radiating so much magic that we can sense it from over ten miles away."

"That is none of your concern."

"What happened to it being customary to share information?"

"You may be of our blood, but you do not know our customs, history, I doubt you can even speak a single syllable of our language. You are of our kind, but you are not one of my people and will be treated as such. A messenger has been sent to the city to inform them of our arrival and we will leave tomorrow, until then you should get some rest, Mirah wills escort you to where the space your men have been designated."

* * *

A small ball of fire started to appear in Lo's hand as John was thrown from his horse. What angered here the most though, was the way Tristen had rode up to the royal stand, a cocky smile on his face, and beckoned her to sit on his horse in front of him. She had declined, attempting to keep her distance while walking back to the castle.

"I don't why you didn't join him on the steed, your acting as if he was the overlord himself." Emily commented."

_If I'm not acting like that I suppose someone should._"It's a matter of principle."

"Look Lo, as much as you try and hold onto your little ideals and principles, your a noble. At some point your going to have to get your hands dirty, sleep with another noble to get them to provide you with resources, bribe a guard to keep a dirty secret quiet, you may have to send your child to marry someone they don't love to create an alliance. The only difference between us and the commoners is our fall from grace has silk cushions to make it softer, or a pit of spikes at the bottom to finish us of once and for all."

"You speak as if it is a certainty."

"There are many causes, scandal, treason, death. These come to everybody at one time or another, it all depends on whose willing to kick you and take your place when your down."

"And how many people have you done this to?"

Emily cocked her head and gave an innocent smile. "Why, I would not dream of hurting another living thing, least of all in its time of need. Speaking of getting dirty." She tilted her head towards Tristen, a smile on his face before wrapping his arm around Lo's waist.

"Hello beautiful."

"Hello Tristen, how's the groin? Still sore I assume."

"A bit tender, maybe you could kiss it better tonight.'

Lo bit her lip to stop herself from maiming him with a blast of lightning. If she was still in Nordberg or no one was around, she probably would have hit him again, but this was not the case and doing anything against him would result in her being punished.

"Perhaps the reason the reason it's sore is because there's a cut on it, I could cauterize it for you, if not it may get an infection and have to be cut off."

"If you think that will happen then maybe you can help me enjoy its, final days."

Suddenly a cruel idea began to form in her head. "That's not a bad idea, in fact I have a very special evening and morning planned, maybe even extending into next night depending on how well it goes."

Tristen was about to let out a gulp but stopped himself._She's bluffing. When I turn up there'll be nothing she's just trying to scare me away and get out of this. _"I can't wait." Without warning he pulled her into a kiss, he was surprises that instead of fighting, she actually embraced it, moving her tongue with as much vigour as his.

When he pulled away her mouth moved to his ear. "Neither can I." She whispered, this time he actually gulped before walking away.

"You don't have to sleep with him you know, he didn't say who he wanted to share your bed with, just send a serving girl, she'll mostly likely be glad for a night off her feet." Emily said.

"If I was going to send anyone, it would be one of the male staff. I have no intention of sleeping with him though, I'm just going to teach him a lesson, and John."

"I have the feeling there's a very interesting story to this."

"Your brother told Tristen and another about a certain upcoming event. I like my privacy, it was one thing that was difficult to find at the college, that, and testing him instead of me will be interesting."

* * *

Khalenhad was escorted by Mirah to the area the other paladins were. To his surprise the camp above ground was merely a diversion, the tent at the back had led to a cave beneath the rocks, hiding the true, smaller encampment. The caves winded repeatedly, making any form of escape difficult and as he was led further in he began to question if the others were being held against their will.

"Your friends are round the next corner." The woman told him.

He gave a slight bow before progressing down the tunnel.

To his surprise the area was well furnished, and the orange light that made it's way through the cracks told him the sun would be setting soon. He took his place on one of the canvas stools that was spread around a small table made of a similar material. His men were sat there, a few elves around the table with them playing cards and from the looks of it drinking.

"Ah sir,"one of his men began "I take it you met with our host."

Khalenhad looked over the group of five and their guests, watchers, or wardens, he couldn't tell which. But from the looks of it, an elven woman sat on the lap of one his men, not quite nuzzling but certainly making more contact then was appropriate between friends, they were slightly too affectionate to be guards.

One of his men had noticed where he was looking. "They're in love."

Without looking away the elven woman's voice came up. "You say that as if it's a bad thing." The man that she was sat on looked as if he was about to speak but the elven woman pressed her lips to his, neither of them breaking it until they were desperate for breath.

"Told you."

Khalenhad made a quick observation. He had seen groups of men throughout the cave, mostly on patrol, but the group that was with them was entirely composed of women. He looked over the group again, hoping that someone else had noticed. Only one of them had a suspicious look, the others were grinning apart from one who was occupied by an elf.

* * *

Tristen's nose started twitching at the smells that came behind the oak door that led to Lo's room._ Good gods she wasn't bluffing, she's going to poison me, that has to be it, there is no way a woman's attitude shifts that fast._ Against his better judgement he knocked. The door swung open and Lo was stood there. His jaw dropped at the image. She was wearing a white dress that cut away just below her knee and would have shown the tops of her breasts' if she hadn't moved her hair so it covered the upper half but still left the dip between them visible. The rest of her hair was left to hang down to the small of her back. It felt like she was taunting him, only a thin layer of red blocking his view from what he decided was his new favourite part.

"I told you I planned something special." She walked backwards slowly, beckoning him with a single finger which he eagerly followed.

Inside smelled even better, the odour of spice mixed with scented candles filled the area and a meal was laid out on the table. He was ushered to his seat before he moved a fork-full to his mouth, but before he ate it he took a single whiff and frowned at her.

"Anything in here I should know about?"

She gave out a laugh. "You think I'd be willing to eat tainted food? Poison is below my abilities when I could snap my fingers and have you running for the bathroom. We can swap plates if you wish?"

"No." After another sniff he placed it in his mouth. It tasted nice, no where near as good as it smelled but he was fine with that. After fifteen minuets of the only sound being forks scraping against plates she moved back towards the area she had set up as a kitchen and returned with two bowls.

After being room-mates with Anise for five years, Lo had seen everything trick the girl had heard of or conceived, and that this was one of her favourites, mostly due to it being difficult to get fresh fruit that far north which made it seem all the more extravagant. She wasn't sure if it would have the same effect in the south, but she felt strawberries and cream would work.

Yet again here guest eyed it with suspicion.

"This was your idea Tristen, if you didn't want this you should have said you wanted nothing."

He picked a piece of the fruit up, rotating it in his hand before dipping it in the other bowl. Before he could eat it though she grabbed his wrist and guided it into her mouth instead, flicking her tongue over his fingers before taking a bite.

Lo had no idea why Anise's trick worked so well, but he couldn't look away from her, so she knew it had. She stood up and started pulling at his wrist as she walked to the bedroom.

Tristen knew something was wrong, this was too well planned. All of her moves seemed practiced, rehearsed until everything went perfectly. She was bluffing, she had to be. But a little voice in his head was hoping that this wasn't some elaborate trick. She gave a giggle as her legs hit the foot of the bed, causing her to fall backwards and pull him with her.

Lo could sense that the man was hesitating, so when she fell over she clicked her finger and the straps of the dress hidden by her hair snapped, letting her easily crawl out of it. While the action was a bit showy, the entire evening was just that, a play she had seen Anise use more than a dozen times, although, the ending to this night would be very different ,(she wasn't going to be pushed out of the room for a start,)but she wasn't going to let him know that till the time was right. After crawling out of her dress and up to the head of the bed, she pulled the covers over here and he quickly followed, ditching his own top. She gave a giggle before pulling the covers over her head, forcing Tristen to follow her.

She took a slight gasp when his hands wrapped around her hips and she felt something go into her lower back. "You seem, excited." Lo started to smile, it would make her victory all the sweeter. Without saying a word she pushed onto his back and gave a whistle.

"No no no, please." Was all he managed to say before Fengir leapt on his chest.

"What did I say about looking or touching?"

The only sound the trapped man made was a half splutter.

"That's about right." _Step one, check. Step two will have to wait till morning._

* * *

_A/N Try for reading. A longer chapter than usual and at this point the story can diverge into three branches, not sure which one I'm going down yet so I might start a poll after two chapters._


	15. Chapter 14- The games we play, Pt 2

John was pacing back and forth. He was, well he didn't know how he was feeling. He knew Tristen should have been up by now, unless he had a very good sleep, and the only time he slept this late was when he had someone on top of him. He was outside Lo's room with Drez nearby, who was in a much calmer mood.

"You know the lass wouldn't sleep with farmboy, she detests the lad and kicked him in the balls for gods sake."

"You know Tristen never sleeps in this long normally, even by his standards this is late."

"Your just jealous of him."

"No I am not."

"Then why was it when you saw them kissing you stormed off."

"I, I needed to go to the healers tent, because..."

"Because you had your heart crushed."

"I am not in love with her, I just like her."

"No, how me and her are is liking each other, you love her."

"It's not important, where the hell is Tristen?"

"Trying to change the subject."

"I am not in love with her."

"When you first saw her what did you think?"

"Nothing, my mind went blank."

"And then you couldn't look away, right."

"Maybe."

"Your farther should have already told you about this stuff. I just hope I don't have to explain where the moles and the mice come from."

"Moles and mice?"

"When a mummy and a daddy love each other very much."

"Yes, I know that, but the metaphor above ground is the birds and the bees."

"But don't they both come out of eggs?'

"Yes. What's your point?"

"Sorry, just I haven't seen any human eggs yet."

* * *

Lo stretched her arms before opening her eyes. Fengir was still on top of the boy she had fooled last night, that made her happy. Step two of her plan was about to be put into motion, when she said she was going to test John she hadn't lied, she wanted to know if he would trust her. She pulled herself up slowly before walking to the dresser she had in a corner and pulled out a small, unopened box. Inside was a thick sheet of wood with large circular pieces carved out and filled with coloured powders and pastes. Anise had given her the make-up kit the day she left Nordberg, saying that the southern ladies supposedly wore the stuff. Lo hadn't opened the box till today, she hasn't really wanted to wear the stuff but she finally had a use for it.

She ran a single finger through a slightly red paste before grabbing Tristen's discarded tunic and applying a slightly lip shaped mark to the collar. The next part would be slightly more disgusting. She looked on her pillow and found a single red strand of hair. With a slight hiss and trying to avoid looking, she pulled his waistband and slipped the hair in slightly above his crotch so that it was clearly visible.

Lo lifted the boys head before pulling her hand back and slapping him. Tristen eye's went wide as a slight red mark started to appear on his cheek. She grabbed his ear pulling him sharply before walking towards the door.

"Can you make me some breakfast?" Tristen murmed, still half asleep.

"How dare you ask for that! " Lo yelled as she opened the door, "oh, hello John, Drez are you still up for going to the dwarven district, I need a new bow."

"Sure lass."

"Oh, and take your shirt with you." She threw his top at him before slamming the door shut. She pressed an ear against the door. From the voices coming from the other side, her plan was working better than she thought.

* * *

"So humans don't come out of eggs?" Drez asked, the whole metaphor was incredibly confusing.

"No, they're born just like dwarves are."

"Then why the birds and the bees?"

"I suppose it's picturesque."

John looked to the door as Lo threw Tristen out, shouting about him asking for something but John didn't pay attention._ Even when she's just woken up she's amazing._

John shook his head as Lo slammed the door shut, then threw Tristen's tunic out, and then slammed the door again.

Tristen glanced to the prince, then Drez, then back to John, then back to the dwarf again. "This isn't what it looks like."

Drez gave a chuckle. "What did you ask for?"

"Er, breakfast."

John raised an eyebrow. "And she kicked you out for that? It seems rather unlikely."

"I have no idea why, that girl is insane."

"What exactly happened last night?"

"Nothing. She had her wolf jump on me."

"You would never sleep on the floor, we both know that."

"Okay, I may have been topless and on her bed."

Drez gave a laugh. "That sounds more like you farm boy."

"And how did you get there?" John asked, he was beginning to like this situation less and less, the person that he lo... liked a lot, might have slept with someone else. At times he didn't trust his friend, he had lied to him before about something like this. When they had found out about the marriage, John had gone into a bit of a slump. He liked Lady Elise's daughter, a girl of his age named Alex with a smile that would have melted the ice in Nordberg. Tristen had considered her fair game.

"She cooked some food, she flirted with me, I thought I might have won her over with my brilliant charm and dashing good looks, then when the time for, well you know, she has her wolf jump on me."

"Er, Farmboy," Drez began, " why is one of her hairs sticking out of your trousers above your groin?" The dwarf had discovered that his height was very unfortunate when dealing with tall humans.

"I have no idea."

Drez laughed. "Why would s girl's head be near that area?"

"And why would you have lip colouring on your collar?"

"I seriously, do not know how any of that happened."

"Tristen, I am going to ask you a very simple question. Did you sleep with Lo?"

"What? No. She convinced me she wanted to and then cut me off."

"Okay I believe you, now please put your shirt back on."

Tristen did as he was asked before walking off, mentioning something about finding breakfast before Drez moved to his side. "Do you really trust him?"

"Only about as far as I can throw him. I need to speak with Lo, she'll tell the truth."

"There's a reason mine and her kind don't trust each other, I think she's different but I can't be too sure."

* * *

Lo had mixed feelings, so far everything was going to plan, but the dwarf's last comment had set her off guard, perhaps they weren't as close as she thought. Anyway, she'd have to wait for the rest of the plan to take effect, and, after sleeping next to Tristen she really needed a bath.

Lilith couldn't help but smile as she watched from the balcony of the room opposite to Lo's. The guards and butcher's boy were so polite to let her pass without girl did well to plan something so quickly, and to set it up so well. But she was stupid, so many ways for someone to interpret her motives. All it would take was some subtle manipulation and she could have anything done to the girl. She couldn't help but tut at her, she had talent, it just needed refining, or pushing in the write direction.

She couldn't be killed, that would ruin the plan, maybe prison, although there would be no way to talk to her easily. Well, there was one punishment that would suit their purpose ideally, the king would just need a slight push in the right direction, maybe the prince as well and the butcher's boy could serve a role as well, scapegoats were incredibly valuable.

* * *

John knocked on the door to Lo's room, it had been an hour since Tristen had left Lo's room and he had judged it to be a suitable amount of time before confronting her. Since there was no reply he knocked again. This time the heavy door swung open, revealing Lo standing there in her normal blue dress.

"Ah John, what do you want?"

"I just came to see how you were doing, after your night with Tristen."

"Fine."

"Sorry, just you seem chirpier than usual, any reason for that?"

"Not really, I just had a very good night's rest."

"Any reason that you slept so well?"

"I think I might be finally getting used to the south."

"What about it? Food, climate, people?"

"I'm thinking all three."

"Any person in particular?"

"Are you insinuating something John? It seems more like an interrogation then a conversation between friends."

"Did you sleep with Tristan?"

"I slept next to him, but nothing else."

"Then why did you kiss him yesterday?"

"He kissed me if you hadn't noticed."

"But you didn't push away.

"I wanted to teach him a lesson."

John felt something inside him snap, something he didn't even know he had. "What, that if they try hard enough you'll screw anybody."

"Where did that come from?"

"I don't know, maybe the mark on his collar, the hair sticking out from the top of his trousers, you tell me where they came from. Do you know what, I'll go to Tristen, I'll make him tell me the truth."

"But nothing happened." Lo started to yell as John walked out of the door. She wanted to teach him a lesson but this was spiralling out of control, she hadn't expected such a dire reaction from him. Little did she know, that he was no longer in control.

John cursed under his breath, he'd never been so angry before, and he didn't know why. Tristen was going to pay, he had to pay. Lo deserved someone better than that whore-mongering, self serving, arrogant bastard. He knew Tristen would be training, he always trained in the morning, making sure it was outside Emily's room. While it should have annoyed John more that Tristen aimed for his sister, he always knew his sister was a nasty piece of work. She'd grown up for six years thinking she would be on the throne, and despised him for taking that away from her.

But that didn't matter now he had business to take care off.

* * *

Lo heard a knock at the door before it was smashed open, the king walking in with Tristen at his side, covered in bruises and a range of small cuts.

"What happened?" She asked moving closer to Tristen, her hands glowing a pale blue as she placed them on his arm and his skin started to bind together.

"My son, happened. What you do with Tristen?"

Lo gave an innocent smile. "Nothing."

"Then why is my son unconscious after attacking him."

"That was not me."

Baleon gave a sigh. "Take the shirt off boy."

"What?"

"The only way we can prove this to him is to have someone else tell him. And the only way I'll tell him is if I know. So take the bloody shirt off!"

"But, in front of her?"

"If you're anything like your father I'd be surprised if you went with her wearing breaches."

Tristen hesitantly removed his shirt. _Still afraid of me, that's good._Baleon looked at the red mark before moving it next to Lo's lips. He threw it to the side, a look of contempt across his face. "Get out boy."

Tristen tried to grab his shirt from the Baleon's iron grip but gave up after a few tugs. Baleon brought his hand back and tried to slap Lo, but his blow bounced off the air around her, a slight smile started to appear on her face. "You think this is funny girl? You think playing with people's feelings and having them fighting each other is a game? Answer me now!"

Lo felt scared, for the first time in her life without there actually being a chance of physical harm. She could snap her fingers and the man would be torn apart, but something told her it wouldn't work. She gave a slight gulp. "No."

"Then why?"

"I, I don't know."

"Yes, you do. Know, tell me!"

"I, I was tired of constantly being tested I though ..."

"No you weren't."

"I thought ..."

"No you didn't, you didn't think, you thought it would be fun. I fought long and hard to make sure my people were safe from monsters, and I will not have my son ensure the torture of being married to you, I want you out."

"I'm sorry, I'll explain to John, please, I didn't want to hurt anyone, I'm sorry, give me a week, if not I'll go back to Nordberg."

"I don't mean out of my house, I mean out of my kingdom."

"But, there's only one known place that you don't rule, please don't send me there."

"I don't care for your opinion girl, the wasteland is better than you deserve. If the boy didn't still have feelings for you I would have made a proper example of you."

"John has feelings for me?"

"How could you not have known."

"How should I have known, I've been trying to avoid people falling in love with me." It was true, when she'd been at the college she'd avoided boys, but it was difficult, apparently her looks hadn't gone unnoticed and many considered her exotic because she was an elf.

"I don't care. My men will escort you till you arrive at the edge, then the paladins will give you some supplies, when you're in there though your on your own."

* * *

_A/N This story's going to be on a short break while I write a few other fics, should be roughly one week._


	16. Chapter 15 - Backlash

Emily looked as the cart was led out of the northern gate, Lo huddled in the back and still wearing a dress. She'd been allowed to take her bow, but nothing else, not even a spare change of clothes or any of the books she had collected. Emily started drumming her fingers on the window sill, this had worked out well, John had fallen ill after the fight with Tristen, with him and the elf out of the picture it left the throne clear for her, she couldn't interfere, that would be too suspicious. Right now though, she'd have to help with the elves, her father seemed intent on having one of his children at any royal event, and with her brother incapacitated it left her.

Lilith was watching the same view, although she was in the lower streets. She hoped her presence would go undetected and it seemed successful. The king would fall sick soon, it was an unfortunate side effect of manipulating minds but it would be useful now. Both the king and his son having uncontrolled aggression before collapsing. Why, it couldn't be coincidence, could it? Then the butcher's boy would come out, saying how his father raised him and teaching him how magic was wrong and evil, like the empire saw it, he wanted to send a message, poisoning the two people who were letting monsters into civilized society. Just a poor, misguided boy, acting on what he thought was right. He would be killed for treason of course, but in the grand scheme of things he wouldn't matter. She would leave to the netherworld latter, right now though she would need something to keep her going on the long trip, she hadn't eaten in days, and the men there were so willing.

* * *

After two weeks of traveling, the cart finally came to a halt and Lo glanced up at the intimidated stone gate, statues of angels marked either side of the gate, a stark contrast to the name her fellow prisoners gave it, the door to hell. They had all heard rumours about the other side. She didn't think any could be true as no one escaped from the wasteland. The man sat next to her was older than the rest, from the looks of it in his mid-forties, and unlike the others he was gagged, she didn't know why, apparently he had been spouting heresy, saying that the abominations created in the war against the overlord were not monsters, merely men. At this point she didn't know what to believe.

Her and the three others that sat on the cart were roughly shoved towards the gate, Fengir following but his mouth was muzzled. There was a loud clank as the chain that held up gate moved slowly until there was a resounding thud, revealing a second one. Lo glanced down to her shaking hand as a small tinder box was forced into her sweating palms and everyone else received the same treatment, the gagged man having the strip of cloth cut from his face before all the guards walked away.

The gate shut behind them and the one in front of them opened. Two of the men walked off straight away, moving in opposite directions while the previously gagged man walked forward slightly before turning around.

"We need to find somewhere to camp, maybe some other prisoners as well, hopefully they'll be friendly."

Lo's hands were still shaking. "What makes you think there are other prisoners in here?"

"What makes you think we're the first."

"That's not how the kingdom works, they wouldn't send anyone here."

"The fact that you're here shows you're wrong, never mind the rest of us. Now, be quiet, we need to find shelter before nightfall." He turned around and started to walk away.

"But who are you?" She yelled, half-jogging till she came to his side with Fengir next to her.

"They call me the Prophet, the paladins sent me here for speaking out against them, now why are you here girl?"

"It's a long story."

"We have a considerable amount of time."

"It's complicated."

"I'm smarter than I look."

"I don't want to."

"We are in a place described by many as a living hell, it would help if I knew about you."

Lo let out a sigh before beginning to explain, she left out a few parts of the story such as Morg, and being the long lost daughter to the ruler of an evil empire, that was something she wanted to keep quiet.

"And that's how I got here. It's not my fault really, if the king's son hadn't overreacted then everything would have been fine."

"You do not understand your actions have affects most minds cannot perceive."

"And you can? You act as if you can predict every possible outcome and work out a response, you can't otherwise you wouldn't be here."

"Not all the time, no. But otherwise it's very useful."

Lo gave a disdainful look, the man was obviously insane, but he seemed to have some plan with the way he was leading. The further they walked in they started seeing more ruins they began to see, along with a pale blue liquid that seemed more common than water, considering they hadn't seen any of the second. They finally found an area that The Prophet deemed usable, a wooden structure that was less rotted than the others. There was a small kitchen filled with rusted knives that the prophet had begun sharpening, a pantry filled with rotted meats and stale bread, and a small area with a wooden table and chairs that broke as soon as you sat on them, there was also a small bathroom, but it was essentially a bucket.

Lo glanced over the selection of inedible food, her stomach was rumbling and for the past two weeks she'd been given dried near and stale bread. She walked out into the kitchen where her knew companion was, holding a single stone and sharpening a large serrated knife. Despite being called the Prophet, a name that is usually associated with men of peace, after a few practice swings she could tell he had used it before. She turned back around and started trying to find something soft to lie down on, she needed some sleep.

* * *

Lo woke when she heard a smashing sound. She'd ended up using her wolf as a pillow so when she grabbed her bow and got up, he followed. Two dozen arrows, that's all she had. She pushed the door open slowly and started moving forward, Fenris was keeping an eye out for anyone behind. She rounded a corner and then she saw it.

It was human in form, but it looked like it hadn't been fed in weeks. Its skeleton was scarcely covered by scarred and pallid skin. Any sign of muscle was missing from it's hunched form and its fingernails were long and talon like. It turned around slowly and when Lo looked at it's face she felt a mixture of pity and horror. It's eye's were shriveled and its skin was torn in patches, revealing bleeding and rotted sinew.

It lifted it's head and its nose started to twitch as it sniffed the air. She pulled back the string of her bow and let it go. The arrow hit it in the chest and Lo watched as it went through the other side before its flesh started to knit together. The creature realised what was happening and charged, swinging its arms and flailing like a mad man. She tried to move out the way but instead fell over when a single talon tore into her gut, regretting the fact she was still wearing a dress.

The creature stumbled over her. It was blind, Lo had worked that out, but it still had it's hearing and smell. She quickly pulled herself up Fengir leapt at the creature, biting down into into its throat and trying to maul it with his front claws. The creature clawed into his side, making the hound leap off and start circling it, bareing his teeth and growling.

Lo threw her bow to the ground and tried to freeze the creature, it worked, but she felt her hands freeze as well. Fengir leapt at the creature, knocking it to the floor and smashing the frozen statue. She quickly rolled the sleeves of her dress up to her forearms and looked, they had turned almost blue, making the markings almost disappear.

"Backlash? Something that simple shouldn't cause backlash. Where is he?" The Prophet should have been there, where the hell was he. They were supposed to stay together, they had agreed to that before she went to sleep. She glanced down to her stomach and saw blood running out and staining her dress. "It's always the guts, whenever I fight it's always the guts." She pressed her hand to her stomach and started healing. She gave a hiss as fresh pain entered her body. It didn't work. She tried again. It didn't work.

"No, it can't be." And with that she collapsed, falling unconscious.

* * *

Emily gave a well practiced smile as her brother sat in his bed, unfortunately for her, he was awake.

"Where is she?" John asked, trying to pull himself up but one of the healers assigned to him pushed him back down.

"Who?" She said innocently.

"Lo, where is Lo?"

"Before he fell ill, he told me not to tell you."

I don't care, this is all my fault, I should have listened to her. Now, where is she?"

"I don't know if I should tell you, you might go running off."_ And leave the throne nice and clear for me_.

"I needed to find her, get her back, this is all my fault."

"Now, now, if she hadn't tricked you then this wouldn't have happened."

"I don't care. Where is she?"

Emily tilted her head and looked as if she was deep in thought. Her brother always wanted to be the knight in shining armour to some fairytale maiden. Now he had his chance, but he'd be riding into hell not some dark tower. "Father sent her to the wasteland."

"She would've been sent by cart, if I take a horse I could get there in two, maybe three days."

"But if you go alone, you won't last long there. There's a reason it was chosen for the worst criminals, with the paladins as wardens."

The door was forced open and Tristen burst in. "He's not going alone, it's my fault she's in there, if I hadn't of pulled off that dumb stunt then nothing would've happened."

"You've got more honour than I thought."

"And me." Neither of them recognised the voice and all three glanced towards the door. An elven woman was leaning in against the frame, holding a piece of paper up. "Is this drawing accurate."

She quickly placed the parchment in John's hands. It was the drawing of Lo that his mother had sent him. "What interest have you got in her?"

"Can you tell me any details, hair colour, eye colour?"

"Red hair, grey eyes."

"Then my people have interest in her."

"Why?"

"That is not yet your concern."

"The paladins said you were hiding something, now this. You are hiding something, I want to know why before I even trust you."

"I am not allowed to inform you of anything."

"You're staying here then."

"You can't stop me, diplomatic immunity prevents your people from touching me."

"She's got you there." Tristan said.

"Fine then, I want someone with us to keep an eye on her."

* * *

_A/N TY for reading, I was struggling to write this chapter then I got a new review and that made me a bit more motivated as I only had two previous reviewers._


	17. Chapter 16 - Secrets

The Prophet poured water down the unconscious elf's throat. He had been out last night raiding a supply caravan to one of the paladins outpost and returned to find the girl with her huts almost spilling out. She was totally out, and showed no sign of waking. She'd been like this, only stirring every few hours. He regretted leaving her, but he had to get new supplies every couple of days, fortunately they hadn't posted more men on guarding the caravans, so it was still easy to steal food and water. He had tried not kill any of the paladins guarding them, that and he had no weapons to fight them at first, it hadn't worked. He hadn't killed them, just left them lying down and taken a few swords and some extra arrows for the girl.

He gave the wolf a quick scratch behind the ear before examining the remains of the creature that had attacked the girl. From the defrosted pieces in the corner, he had gathered that it was humanoid. So, the infamous abominations of the wasteland, described as creatures out of nightmares, had been killed by a noble woman within a few minuets. The kingdom seemed to exaggerate the threat of abominations.

He needed to get some bandages for a girl, the cloth strips he had used to bandage the wound would need changing soon enough, and the only cloth he had was dirty. The paladins would be a good source but he'd rather find some other prisoners to help.

* * *

Khalenhad was annoyed. The prince had requested that he join the group on the attempt to rescue the elf girl. There was him, the prince, the heir to the mellow hills, and Mirah. He found the elf woman almost insufferable. She was silent for most of the time, only speaking when asked a question, usually giving the answer that they didn't need to know. Why was she here? What interest did Oberon have in Lo? And why was he the only one questioning why the king fell I'll before he could question the elves? It seemed as everyone else could see one add one but he was the only one willing to work it out.

They has been traveling for a day with two left and an awkward silence had developed between the group. In the end he decided to be the one to break it.

"So, what's our plan when we get into the wasteland?"

John didn't even look back. "Find Lo, get her to come with us, then leave."

"Do you really think it will be that simple?"

"No, but when you make plans some complication always comes in, keep them simple and they can't get to complicated."

"Your plan is flawed." The elven woman said. "The wasteland is a large area, it would take months to check all of it, we should make her come to us, use a beacon."

Khalenhad shook his head. "Fire attracts the abominations, we'd be letting them know exactly where we were, along with all the prisoners."

John finally had a better idea. "Can't you paladins sense magic users?"

"It might have worked if the whole area wasn't infused with it."

"Dogs" Tristen commented, "if we got some dogs they could track the scent."

"You humans are more intelligent than I give you credit for."

"Why do you look down on us, despite the fact you joined the kingdom?"

"If it was up to me, we wouldn't have. My people can solve their own problems, but Oberon believes we require you aid."

"And what problem is that?"

"It is none of your concern."

"Considering that I am going to be king some day, I think it is."

"Oberon disagrees."

"Wasn't Oberon one of the eight heroes."

"It is a name, more than one person can have it."

"Is he your king?"

Mirah sighed. "No, he's what you would call a regent till we find an heir, who may not exist."

"Shouldn't he have been crowned then?"

"He refuses to rule, he will look after our kind till a suitable replacement is found.".

Khalenhad shook his head, Mirah was not as smart as she thought she was. "So that's why your after the girl."

"What makes you come to that conclusion?"

"Your willing to walk into hell for a stranger, sounds like royalty, an it's based on a picture, I'm guessing there's a family resemblance."

"Your evidence is thin."

"But still correct."

Mirah's face contorted into half snarl before returning to it's original impassive look. "You should make sure you know all evidence before making assumptions."

"That's still not a no."

* * *

The two men were dragging Lo by her legs when she woke up. She was to weak to fight back and could see the bandages wrapped around her stomach.

"Look's like the ladies finally awake."

"Hope she's less trouble than her friend, took down five of us before he ran."

She was pulled off the ground and felt something dig into her wrists as her hands were tied behind her back. "Where are you taking me?"

"Shut up." She felt a knee go into her back and one of yanked her hair, forcing her to look upwards.

"Hmm, never seen an elf before, seems what they say 'bout them being fair ain't wrong, always liked red heads, if your a good girl I'll talk to the boss 'bout letting you 'elp around camp and not have you tied up."

Lo's face twisted into a half snarl before she heard the sound of a slap.

"Boss 'el want first go with 'er, he'd kill you if you took first crack at 'er."

"I'm going to kill you both," She whispered under her breath, "and your 'boss' and anyone else who tries to touch me."

"Ye, and what can you do to hurt us, little girl?"

"I, am not, a, little girl. Untie my hands and I'll show exactly what I can do."

She felt a knee go into her back again. "Shut up, or do we have to hurt your doggy?" Lo was turned around so she could see their faces, and Fengir. He was muzzled and had his paws tied to a log that was being carried by four other men, his fur matted with blood and teeth coated as well. Small gashes and cuts lined his ribs and back.

"You should be afraid, incredibly afraid."

"And why's that, little girl?"

"Because you, have made me very, very angry. As soon as we're at your camp I'm going to burn it down, and then I'm going to make your death, very, very painful."

"You 'ear that boys?" One of them yelled before turning her around. "She thinks she can take on the boss and his minions, let me tell you he is miss. 'E's the lord of darkness, his predecessors brought ruin to the world, 'e's the overlord."

Lo felt angrier. Someone was saying her legacy was theirs, sure she denied and rejected it, but it was still her's. She kept silent for the rest of the walk until they came to a small circular ruin, obviously it used to be the base of something, a tower from the looks of it. When they went through a large gate she saw a large, muscular man wearing a silver crown and bits of armour tied together with half rotten rope.

She glanced around at them, thirteen of them in total including the imposter. She couldn't' hold back a laugh, this would be to easy.

"You dare laugh before the overlord, my ancestors ravaged the world."

Lo just couldn't stop. "When they said you were the overlord, I was expecting, well more."

"You should be trembling in fear, behold my terrible minion."

She watched as he pointed to a cage and carried on laughing. "That's a monkey, they're incredibly common in Everlight."

The 'overlord' started looking around nervously. "You seek to turn the overlords soldiers against him with lies, he shall not let it go unpunished."

There was a sudden flash of light as a pair of pale blades cut the leather strips holding Lot's hand and then embedded themselves into the heads of the men that guarded her.

"I have three things to tell you, number one," Lo clapped her hands and the four men holding up Fengir burst into flames, "stop referring to yourself in third person." The blades that were in her previous guard's head moved and cut the rope that held the wolf to the log. "Number two, you are giving my name a bad reputation. And finally number three, I have killed six of your thirteen with only damage caused by my own actions, you stand very little chance of living."

"But, your friend killed five and there were only seventeen of us."

"I'm sorry girl," Lo glanced to see where the voice was coming from as one of her captors drew back his hood" but I was planning on rescuing you." The paladins said.

Before Lo could reply an arrow dug into her shoulder, she let put a cry and then blue lightning flew from her hand, hitting the arched as the other pulled it out in a quick movement.

The Prophet moved next, slicing through the person next to him and then moving on the archer.

The man claiming to be the overlord started trying to run towards the gate but Lo hit him with blast of lighting, the metal letting it pass straight into him and causing him to collapse. Her ally finished slicing the archer before Lo felt another hit her, this time in her thigh causing her to collapse. The Prophet started to run on the edge of the wall, ducking and leaning away from blows before slicing each of his attackers or pushing them off and letting Fengir or Lo finish them off. By the end of it, there wasn't a scratch on him.

Lo looked at her arms, the anger had removed the pain that was quickly seeping back into them. Cuts and slight burns marked them, and blood poured from her shoulder and leg as The Prophet helped her to her feet before ripping the some cloth from the stolen clothes and putting her arm in a sling and putting her other arm over his shoulder.

"Sorry, for leaving you asleep, I thought it would be better to save you later than die trying to protect you."

"I understand, thank you."

"You didn't say you could do that."

"I didn't know I could, I don't think I should us more in here though, normally you only get backlash with really complicated spells when too much energy's been put into them."

"It's the ground, the whole area is full of magic from the explosion."

"Maybe in small quantities it could boost spells and not overcharge them, if we could stop the backlash but keep the rest then I could probably bust open the gate."

"Not an option, we are not going to release the creatures of this place on the rest of the world. The world does not need more monsters, the overlord is enough."

"But he's dead."

"No, you're still walking, and I plan on keeping you that way."

"I can't be the overlord, I'm a woman."

"You said he was giving your name a bad reputation, and less likely things have happened."

"Such as?"

"A man taking part in a magic ritual with nine others and having their consciousnesses absorbed into his." The man rolled up his sleeve to reveal a tattoo of a skull, with a serpent sliding into the eye socket.


	18. Chapter 17 - Echoes of the past

It was raining in the wasteland. The holes in the roof letting the heavy rain through as Lo rested. She couldn't pull a bow string, wasn't trained with any other weapons, any magic she used damaged herself, and on top of that she couldn't walk. She was for all intensive purposes, totally useless. But The Prophet was keeping her alive. He had made it perfectly clear that if they were going to escape it would be stealthily. It had taken a few hours to limp back to camp and then her friend had left to go back to the 'overlord's' camp and gather any supplies possible.

Lo was sat against the wall, Fengir lying at her side. She felt dizzy and light headed as the bandages wrapped around her shoulder, stomach and thigh inevitably turned red. She had to get rid of her dress, it was torn to shreds and she quickly realised that it wasn't the particularly suited to fighting, or even surviving in this place, and when the Prophet came back from the first trip she was given the remainders of the clothes from her captors and told to make do.

She'd chosen a mucky white top that was to big for her so ended up looking more like a dress that went down to her thigh before she tucked it in to the brown trousers she'd taken, and finally a padded blue leather coat that she tied a few armour plates to on her left shoulder to make sure she wouldn't be this useless again.

"You look more like the son I wanted."

Lo glanced up and saw her father, her adopted one, not the one that gave her a legacy of murder and destruction. "You can't be real, I've just going delirious from lack of blood. You're not my father, you never were."

"I raised you till the age of eight, and you are still my daughter."

"You didn't raise me, you paid for governesses to look after me with mother till the age of five and then it was mother and Baristan, he was a better father than you ever were."

"I worked to keep you happy, I didn't' have time for you because I was looking after you."

"That's not true. We both know it."

"According to you, I'm an illusion. I can only tell you the truth that you know."

"No, you can tell me lies, people lie to themselves all the time. I spent the past few weeks in the capital telling myself I wasn't the daughter of the greatest evil the world has ever known."

"The Overlord is evil, but it's part of who you are." Lo looked to her other side and saw Fay standing there. "I'm your mother, not the weak woman that raised you to be so soft and submissive, you should get back up and fight."

Lo leaned her head back and rolled her eyes. "The two worst parents I ever had, one ignored me, the other tried to kill me."

"What about your other father, the one with the elf witch?"

"I didn't know him, I can't judge him as a father so that puts him on neutral ground. Actually, he didn't sell me and tried to make sure I was looked after, he gave me a home."

"The home he gave you is covered in blood."

Fay shook her head. "So is the castle in Heaven's Peak. How many died in the war to keep that place standing? If they had lied down like the dogs they were then no more would have had to die."

"They gave their lives so no more had to suffer."

Lo closed her eyes, she was sure watching an argument between two figments of her imagination made her mad. She just wished there was a mediator to help stop it, then she realised her mistake as Parcid appeared as well.

"What's this other scum doing here." Fay spat.

"He isn't scum, he's my friend."

"Then why hasn't he saved you yet?"

"He's busy."

"Like your absentee father?"

"There's a difference, he actually spent time with me."

"Because he had to, remember, he'd have been killed for poaching."

Lo let out a groan, now she was arguing with her imagination, not just letting it argue with itself.

Lo's father burst in. "It doesn't matter now. Remember, why do we fall? To learn to pick ourselves up."

"Parcid's lessons were better, they had multiple reasons."

The only image she was glad to see gave a smile. "And what were they Lo, why do we fall?"

"Three reasons. It allows us a new perspective, let's us see who's willing to help pick us up and who'll kick us while we're down. Number two, it keeps us sharp, reminds us that were not invincible. And lastly, it let's us get a good shot at the enemy's underbelly."

Fay gave a slight smile. "It seems the man isn't entirely useless after all."

Lo's father looked less pleased. "Ladies shouldn't fight, they have no need to hit a weak spot.'

"I thought you said you wanted a son."

"You work with what you're given."

"Your far to pragmatic to be my father, he was always obsessed with tradition. Now all of you go away, learn to get along with each other or develop a better sense of humour."

"Alright lass."

Lo let out another groan. She felt tired, for once she felt happy that she was going to blackout soon. "Is this going to happen any time I say something mildly related to someone I know."

The image of Drez gave a shrug. "I don't know lass."

"At least Tristen's not here." Lo let out another groan as he came into the room and the whole world went black.

* * *

The group of three dismounted from their horses as Khalenhad appeared from one of the postern gate, holding leashes to three large dogs with brown and black fur and large pointed ears. He had ridden ahead of the others to get the hounds so they could just head straight through the gates.

Khalenhad shook his head. "This all seems too coincidental to me. The child of the elf queen, abandoned at birth but then stumbled upon by nobles. She was then raised to be queen of the humans but due to a single fault, was sent to a living hell, and then, when the noble king falls ill, his son rides off to rescue her. Add in a horde of darkness and a bard, then we'll know something's wrong."

"I am unsure if she is of royal blood yet." Mirah chided.

"It doesn't matter, we're still getting her back, it wasn't her problem, it was mine. She just wanted to know if I trusted her." John half whined.

"Can we just get this done with, I don't want to be in an area described as a living hell for too long."

A few minutes layer they were on the inside, going in the same way as Lo but given more supplies. Mirah moved forward and held a hand to each of the dogs' noses before they pressed them to the ground.

"What did you give them to smell?" John asked before following the dogs.

"I went into the girl's room and borrowed part of her clothing before they were thrown out."

"But that's stealing."

"Is it helping us now?"

"Maybe."

"Then be quiet and follow the dogs."

"You can't speak to me like that, I'm a prince."

"Not here, now you're just a boy with a sword, same as the other two."

"I have a staff as well."

"Nobody cares halfbreed."

"Why did you call him halfbreed?"

"Apparently my father raped my mother and then she abandoned me."

"That's, nice,"

"Can you three be quiet, one of you was saying that we shouldn't alert the abominations."

John let out a slight groan. He knew Tristen was right, he was a prick, but he was right. He was also smarter than he looked. He tried to hide it but the odd comment showed that there was some intelligence behind his eyes.

They followed the dogs for an hour before coming to a set of rotted wooden buildings and the dogs stopped.

"They think she's nearby, we should each check a building." Khalenhad said, moving to the first and walking inside.

Mirah looked annoyed before moving to another and heading inside. She didn't like taking orders from humans, or half breeds. She was three hundred years old, the half breed was barely into his thirties and thought he could tell her what to do. It was a good plan and she would have said the same but still, she'd been fighting since for the rest of the groups ages doubled and combined. She had watched the overlord burn the Nordberg sanctuary and was forced to leave when Fay commanded it. She'd been sent to the Evernight sanctuary and had fought to keep it safe till the humans had killed the beast in human skin. Then the humans had the gall to say it was a solo effort and that they had done it all by themselves. She'd been fighting the humans that followed the blue monster for years, and then they acted as if they'd done nothing wrong.

Most of the rooms were empty, but in the last room she checked, there was something. She examined the frozen chunks of flesh with her blade, flipping it over and examining another piece. This thing had been flash frozen, too fast to be by nature.

"The girl's got power." She whispered before leaving.

Tristen could hear a voice coming from the next room and instinctively took his sword out.

"At least Tristen's not here." Was what he heard before moving through the door and seeing Lo's head fall as she drifted away.

"Shit, what happened to you." He moved towards her and knelt down, looking at the red bandages before putting his ear to her chest. He let out a relived sigh as he heard her heart beat and then looked over her. She was clearly wounded. The bandages wrapped around her body made it obvious. He would need help to move her safely, otherwise it could have caused more damage. He went out the room to tell the others.

Morg watched as he left. The human may have needed to get help, but Gnarl had sent Quaver with him as well as half an army of browns. The girl hunting seals in Nordberg had gathered a high amount of life force, enough to make retrieving her possible.

The minions quickly leapt through the holes in the roof, surrounding the girl and six of them picking her up, another six taking Fengir while the others moved to the exit. When they came out of the door the group of humans and the elf all glanced towards them, before quickly being encircled while the browns carrying Lo paused.

Quaver jumped onto a rock.

"Those who are the forces of light,

believing what they do is right,

but their bones will shatter and guts will spill,

here on this lifeless hill."

The whole group drew their weapons and Tristen decided to speak. "Does it count if the bard's part of the horde of darkness?"

"Shut up farm boy, "Mirah snapped. "Give us the girl and we'll make your deaths quick."

Morg pulled himself onto the same rock as Quaver but pushed the other minion off. "The girl comes with us." He hissed. "We have you outnumbered and surrounded, what chance do you think you have?"

"We have you outmatched." John butted in.

Khalenhad leaned towards the others. "Actually, they have the strength of a man each."

"Did they know that?"

"Yes." Morg laughed. "We'll be taking the girl, and now, you die. Kill them! Kill them all!"

Before the minions could make a move the paladin made a low sweeping blow with his staff, the strike hitting the first and five others and making them fly into the others. Some of them moved into the gap and launched themselves at him, their crude clubs striking the man and denting his armour before Mirah sliced them off. Tristen moved to deal with the others but John had leapt over the minions head and started sprinting towards the group that were carrying Lo.

"Royal bastard." Mirah whispered before slicing at more minions.

"Is there no end to them." Tristen said before attacking another.

"There is but the blue's getting them back up."

"How do you know that?"

"How don't you know? Surely you've got to have some books on them."

"The overlord destroyed the knowledge we had on magical creatures."

"Of course he did, if your people hadn't lied down and taken it, we could have gotten rid of him."

"Sorry, I didn't see your people fighting him."

"No, we were to busy protecting ourselves from you."

"Is this really the time for this conversation you two."

Suddenly the blue minion started shouting. "Fall back, we have her now."

As the creatures started running, the group gave chase, following them until they came to a tunnel guarded by more minions with John trying to slice his way through. As each of the browns came to the hole they leapt into it, quickly followed by the blue until they had all gone and John tried to follow but was grabbed by Mirah and Khalenhad.

"What are you doing we? We have to get her back." He yelled, struggling and trying to break out of the hold as the pair dragged him away.

"The king would have all our heads if we lost you, and if you head down there without an army, we will lose you."

"What is down there?" Tristen asked nervously.

"That's where the overlord comes from, if those things took her, then he has her now."

"All the more reason for us to go and save here."

"Aren't you listening boy, we can't."

Any resistance from John stopped. "I couldn't save her. I couldn't save her."

"She doesn't matter any more boy, we have to get back, warn your father."

Mirah shook her head. "If the overlord wants her then perhaps she is more powerful than we think."

Morg was listening from inside the tunnel._Oh, they have no idea._


	19. Chapter 18 - Shadows of the future

The browns had placed Lo on the bed in the private quarters. Her top and coat had been removed and the bandages had been replaced, as well as more being added to cover her more private areas. Lilith was sat on the edge of the bed, overlooking her, making she was alright, and slowly stroking her hair.

"How's she doing?" Gnarl asked, taking a seat next to the succubus but having to jump slightly.

"No sign of improvement, I'm not sure if she wants to get better though."

"What does want have to do with it?"

Lilith tilted her her head to one side. "The mind is a powerful thing, if she doesn't want to heal it'll slow the process down."

"But, why wouldn't she want to get better, it's simple self-preservation."

"Sent away from her home to a living hell, lost the future she was going to be given, abandoned by her friends and the person she thinks loves her, attacked, nearly died twice, almost raped, all in the span of less than three weeks, what makes you think she thinks she has anything to live for."

"I don't know, but she didn't lay down and die. Anyway, look at you, taking care of her, it almost looks as if you genuinely care for her."

Lilith slowly turned around. "Would it really be so unlikely. We've looked after her, made sure she was put into a good school, kept her safe when possible. While you were down here I was watching her grow up. It's strange, I'm practically her mother and we've never even met before."

"Would a mother send her child to the wasteland?"

"Well, sometimes you have to throw them in the deep end to teach them a lesson."

"And what lesson is that?"

"If your given something good, then you should take it."

"You do realise that at the end of all this, she will have to be disposed off?"

"She may not, we might be able to convince her to join him. She can help rule, and if he ever tires, then she can take over. She would be his heir anyway."

"Yes, but he doesn't know that, and she won't accept it. She was raised for half her life thinking she was going to rule most of the known world, she won't settle for anything less."

"We'll see Gnarl, but now I'm going to check on Giblet about getting her some armour made."

"But what about the old Overlord's armour? It was a lot of trouble getting it back."

"I get the feeling she'll prefer something lighter, more agile."

"All this will be pointless if she doesn't join us, what happens if she doesn't, she didn't last time."

"She will, she's got nothing to lose now, and so much to gain. Then, there's this." Lilith produced a set of papers bound by black leather and waved it in the air. "If we had managed to get this before we told her she would have joined us."

"Humans are so strange, always writing their secrets down and making them so easy to find."

* * *

The group arrived at the capital about three days after they'd left the wasteland. John feeling defeated, Tristen begin quieter than usual, Khalenhad acting nervous, and Mirah was her usual bitchy self. When they entered the main keep they were barely noticed, until they were outside the throne room and the doors opened. John had been expected to be walked in and given a punishment, but instead a dark skinned woman came out smiling, followed by John's mother.

"You! How could you just run off like that?" Audrey yelled before pulling the boy into a hug. "You are never going to do anything like that again."

The woman next to her gave a smile. "I'm guessing you're the prince that went to save Lo then, where is she?"

John's hand turned into a fist and he started staring at the floor. "We, we couldn't get to her in time."

"What do you mean you couldn't save her? Is she dead? Did you bring back the body?"

Khalenhad cleared his throat. "This would be better discussed in private, we have, information that is vital to the kingdom."

"No, you're going to tell me what happened to Lo, or I'm going to make you."

"You are threatening my son."

"I don't care, Lo's a friend of mine and I want to know what's happened to her, now tell me."

"The king needs to hear this first." Khalenhad stated. "What business do you have here anyway?"

"My name, is Anise, second at the Mage's College and future lady of Nordberg. My business here is securing my fiancé's position as lord due to his takeover."

"Takeover?"

"He tried to have the old lord removed peacfully, but he refused."

"Does of kingdom support usurpers?"

"If they remain part of the kingdom, treat their people better and get results, then yes."

The queen gave a slight huff. "Admittedly we don't want everyone rising up, but her future husband does have a claim and the documents she's brought have shown that his rule has had many positive effects."

"Anyway, if you're only willing to give the news to the king then I'd better come with you, from the sound of it, it will affect everyone."

Mirah gave a small clap. "If this is all finished up then I have to report back to Oberon."

Khalenhad grabbed her arm. "You're to bring him back here, and send someone to get dwarven ambassador, we're going to need all the help we can get."

* * *

It took an hour for everyone to arrive, Drez came with his father and Oberon following an annoyed looking Mirah. They had gathered inside the throne room but no one was sat down.

"What is this about Khalenhad? What's so important that only the leaders of the three races can hear?"

"During our venture into the wasteland, we were unable to recover Lo, however we discovered information vital to the survival to everyone who walks upon the ground."

Oberon remained at his usual level headedness. "And what is that?"

"The girl was taken by a horde of savage, brown creatures. They were roughly three foot in height, and were led by a creature of a similar height, but blue and appeared to be almost amphibian in appearance."

"You describe the overlord's minions."

Baleon's eyes went wide. "Is this true? Has the monster returned?"

Khalenhad gave a nod then Mirah spoke up. "What concerns me most is the fact that he's willing to make himself known, just to capture someone."

Drez shook his head. "It wasn't a capture. It was a rescue."

His father shot him a venomous look. "My apologies sirs, the boy doesn't know when to be quiet."

Baleon looked to be in deep thought. "No, the boy is right. He wouldn't know we had plans for her so he wouldn't know her value, her rescue may have been to corrupt her to his side."

Mirah spoke next. "The girl has power, when we were searching for her I found the remains of one of the creatures that preside there, it was frozen alive."

Anise bit her lip slightly. "Lo tried not to use magic, one time some boys were bullying her about being an elf and when she gets scared something in her makes her fight back with her own sorcery. The three of them that attacked her were found to have little willpower left, they had to go through three months of counselling just to get them able to be around her again, let alone talk. She didn't get punished as because she literally can't help it, but she said she would only use magic when she had to, not when she wanted to."

Baleon walked to one of the chairs and started drumming his fingers on the arm. "Are you telling me the girl's managed to kill a monster, without using her full power."

"Yes."

"Then let's hope she doesn't follow him, I do not like to think about what would happen otherwise."

* * *

Lo was awake but wouldn't open her eyes. Her entire body ached, but the bed felt so soft. She gave a smile as well as a relived sigh. It had all been a dream. The wasteland, being abandoned, none of it was real. That meant Tristen was lying next to her, she wouldn't trick anyone, she would tell them what had happened and maybe try to get to know John a bit more. He was actually nice, honest, and she did feel something between them but he shouldn't have told Drez or Tristen.

It was when she felt a thick porridge being poured into her mouth that the illusion shattered and she opened her eyes. When she didn't realise the room or the blonde woman feeding her. She took a deep breath before a bolt of blue light hit her carer and she was flung across the room. She pulled herself up slowly before examing her own body. She was half naked, only a few strips of linen and the trousers she had been wearing covering her and she suddenly felt incredibly self-conscious.

She slowly pulled herself up and suppressed a scream, instead letting out a whimper. She swung her legs off the edge and stood up, one hand clutching her bandaged stomach and the other against the wall to keep herself upright as pain shot her wounded leg. She started limping towards the door, hobbling along until she came to a balcony and saw a small, hunched figure.

"Gnarl?"

"Ah, it's nice to see you awake mistress." Gnarl moved towards her and grabbed her arm that was against the wall and rested it on his back, turning her around and guiding her back to the bedchamber.

"What happened? Why am I here?"

"We found you wounded in the wasteland and brought you here, keeping you alive is our main concern."

"What about getting me to join you?"

"Can you join us if you're dead?"

"I suppose not. Who is she by the way?" Lo pointed towards Lilith's limp form as Gnarl placed her on the bed. "And where are my clothes?"

"Her name's Lilith, and we thought it best to get rid of them as they were dirty and we didn't want the wound to fester."

"I doubt a normal person would work with you so what's wrong with her?"

"Nothing."

"Then why is she helping you?"

"Mutual benefit. We have made it so you may return to the surface if you so choose, however, I wouldn't recommend it."

"And why is that?"

Gnarl moved over to the succubus's body before moving back with a set of papers in a dark leather covering. "The humans call this the black missive, and I think you will be rather interested with what's inside."

Lo quickly grabbed the item and untied the leather binding. She read the words quickly but with each one she felt her heart sink. "But, but that can't be right."

"The document is genuine, you may examine it as much as you like but you will found no evidence of forgery."

She looked at the bottom of the later, taking care to look at the signets and signatures that belonged to the leaders of the noble houses, each one assigned their own small section with only a few empty. What perplexed her the most was the water mark.

"This symbol, what does it mean?"

"That belongs to the king's oldest advisor, a women who helped him bring down the previous overlord. Her name, is Rose."

* * *

Oberon sat cross legged on the floor with Mirah knelt before him.

"What do you have to report about the girl?"

"There is certainly a family resemblance, same hair and eye colour, she has her mothers glow. She has power as well, the whole area radiated it but she stood out."

"But there's something you remain uncertain about."

"Her power, it was like looking at a picture of the sun on the horizon, you couldn't tell if the light was disappearing or coming, all I can do is hope the darkness is being purged, and not the darkness claiming all."

"We both know there is power in the darkness," Oberon opened a hidden compartment in his gauntlet and pulled out a small box made of silvery wood "the item in this box is merely a husk of it's former self, yet it still has enough energy to blind the paladins from miles away."


	20. Chapter 19 - Arms and armour

_Come on Lo, you can do this. One quick cut, and a little bit of red falls to the floor. She_ held the knife in her hand, knowing that this was the most practical thing to do, it would make fighting much easier. She looked at the knife, the blade was plain steel sharpened till the light danced along the edge, the handle was just as simple, a piece of wood wrapped in a few strips of blackened leather. _Stop procrastinating Lo, you have to do this, it won't hurt and soon enough, back to normal. Until you have to do it again. Stop it! Come on, just a single quick slice, that's all it is. _Lo took a single deep breath, before starting to cut her hair. What she thought would be a single cut ended up more like a long, sawing action. When she was done her hair was down to her shoulders, whereas before it was down to her lower back, and quickly tied it into a ponytail with a piece of cloth.

"It suits you." Lilith said before passing her a hand mirror.

Lo looked at herself in the reflective surface, she had to admit, it did look nice, but she preferred her hair long, it just felt to light now. "I suppose. There's a man in the wasteland, he's called the Prophet, bring him here, and can you get me a sample of the dirt, and the strange blue liquid."

"I'll send out some browns."

"I wouldn't do that," Gnarl chided, "most are so dumb they'd fall into it and get mutated, and they'd probably attack the Prophet, or whatever he's called. It would make most sense for you to go while I give the new overlord a tour of the netherworld."

Lilith gave a hesitant smile. "Of course, I'll see to it now."

Lo watched as she walked to the balcony and leapt off the edge.

"When I asked who she was it was the wrong question, wasn't it? I should have asked what is she?"

"She is Lilith, queen of the succubi."

"Queen?"

"I'm not sure how it all works, all I know is that she's in charge."

"Then where are her people? Shouldn't she have a court or a land to rule?"

"Not all monarchies work like the humans, in elven culture a daughter is above a son in the line of inheritance for the throne. Her people are like leeches, they require others to feed on so it wouldn't be practical to have a land full of them that humans could easily avoid. Instead, her people have spread through your lands, taking refuge in 'houses of ill repute'. Anywhere there is a man who wants a woman, there's a succubus waiting."

"How many of them are there?"

"Only she knows for sure, from what I've gathered though, she owns," Gnarl took a slight pause, "seven brothels in Heaven's peak, another in Nordberg, four spread throughout the Mellow Hills, another three in the desert, and I believe she's started expanding into the dwarven market with some of her shorter girls."

"And that's at a minimum?"

"Yes."

"There must be hundreds, practically an army."

"The phrase , they're lovers, not fighters, seems rather appropriate."

"Hmm, what about as spies, they could send back information, they've been there for years so wouldn't look suspicious.'

"It's possible."

"Now we just need an army."

"You do realise that's what the minions are for, strong, near numberless, suicidally loyal. Anyway, time to give you the grand tour. This is the private quarters, after a long day of massecreing people, it's important for an overlord to unwind, and relax."

"Is there a bath?"

"There is a pool but it's been out of order for a few years."

"That's the first priority, get it working, I really need a bath, and some new clothes." Since Lo's clothes had been thrown out, she had been given one of Fay's old dresses. Gnarl had left out the part that it was her mother's and how similar they looked, he hadn't gotten around to telling her about her mother's disappearance either.

"I'll have some browns see to it, but why don't we go and see the rest of the tower?"

"Sure."

"Also in this area is the library, magic room and I believe you are rather familiar with the bedroom."

"What do you mean by that Gnarl?"

"That you've spent a lot of time sleeping in there. Why is there another meaning?"

"It doesn't matter, let's carry on then, where to next."

"I take it you remember the floating platforms."

"You mean the one without a rail."

"It's the main way of moving from area to area down here. Let's get going then."

Lo followed Gnarl to the floating obsidian, but just before stepping on she realised something. "Where's Fengir?"

"He's in the burrows, it's like the private quarters but for the minions, Lilith suggested that he might be good breeding stock."

"What do you mean 'good breeding stock'?"

"If a large wolf breeds, it will likely have large children, the larger the mounts for the browns, the more damage they'll deal."

"So you're using my friend, to give your people a boost."

"Don't worry, he seems to be rather enjoying himself."

Lo rolled her eyes. "You could have just said he was fine, you didn't have to be so vulgar."

"Sorry, you may not want to peek into the brown hive then."

Lo stepped onto the platform before crouching when it started to move, the ride was a lot smoother than the carriages when she was little, but the lack of something to hold onto made her feel unstable.

"I want something to hold onto, that's new priority number one, the bath is number two."

"Of course mistress."

"Gnarl.

"What is it?"

"When I was little a friend gave me a book about the overlord. It said that mistresses was what the overlord's female, companions, were called."

"Yes, and?" Gnarl was slightly concerned, he was certain all knowledge of his kind had been expunged, along with any detailed records of the Overlord's powers and traditions.

"But I'm the Overlord so isn't there another title?"

"Well, this has never happened before so we aren't really sure what to do."

"Was there a title before overlord?"

"There was the Black Baron."

"The Black Baroness, it doesn't quite have the same ring to it."

Gnarl bit his lip. He should have seen this coming. Where the girl came from title was everything, at the top where the lords and ladies, then the barons, then the counts, and of course, the king on top.

"What about the overlady."

"It just doesn't sound right."

"Does this really matter?"

Lo gave a sigh before pulling out the black missive. "You have a point, as soon as I've dealt with this, I'm leaving. So it's probably a good idea I don't go shouting that I'm the person that leads the monsters out of hell, best to keep my actual position quiet."

* * *

Parcid took a deep breath, on top of planning the wedding was difficult, he was tired, and stressed. Then the news Anise sent had pushed him over the edge. He had looked after the girl from the age of eight to fifteen, then she'd been sent away and captured by the overlord. He wasn't as naive as the other lords, he knew the leader of the minions could be negotiate with, his father was proof of that. It all depended on how Lo reacted, she was strong enough to resist him, but would she want to?

He shook his head, there were other things. The abom..., no The Infused was the name they preferred, and it was the one he preferred as well. The three that had helped him were departing, gathering the others. They wanted to stop running, they wanted to stop fighting, they wanted to live in peace. And they were willing to work for it. The return of the overlord presented a, unique, employment opportunity.

But now he had something to do now. The Huntsman had given him the address of someone specialising in the more outlandish items who was lacking funding. Apparently he was one of the people that helped research the ritual to create the infused. A genius, slightly insane with a strange obsession of making the perfect toast, but a genius none the less.

It took Parcid about half an hour to reach the workshop, and he instantly felt uneasy. The fact that he heard a loud bang, then saw a few roof tiles fall off, then saw a shutter fly away from a window. He gulped slightly, then knocked.

"Just a minute." He heard a voice yell, then followed by some swearing that he wasn't meant to hear.

After five minutes he was tempted to walk away but then the door opened. The man standing there, strange, very strange. The only visible hair was a large, half singed beard that had been black end with soot along with his eyebrows. Most peculiar, was the device that rested over his eyes. There was a leather visor with a prong to the side either eye, and on each of those was some metal rods each ending in a small glass circle.

"I was so close this time, then bang, swoosh, all gone."

"Um, sorry about that, but a friend said you had some good ideas to help the city but you were running out of funding."

"Come on in then." The man gave a slight gesture before walking inside, and Parcid, against his better judgement, followed.

The inside of the house, was stranger than its occupant. Vials that looked like they were made when the glassblower had hiccups lined a small shelf, next to them was a pile of thick, alabaster dishes with a few pestles, and after that was possibly the only normal thing in the room, a small sink.

"I was so close this time, it just needs to burn a lot slower."

"What were you trying to do?"

"I was trying to make a fuel that would burn at a certain temperature for a certain time, but instead I just created something that has the same power as a mage's fireball."

"So, you created a substance that removes the divide between people and mages, by accident?"

"Total and utter accident, I just wanted it to be golden and crispy on the outside, soft on the inside."

"Can you show me what you used and how much?"

The man lifted a small barrel and removed a cork on the side, causing a black powder to pour out. He then took a small piece of white cloth, made a small pouch, and filled it with the powder.

"That little? To cause one of the shutters not the windows to fall off?"

"The hinge was rusted and the nails were falling out anyway."

"I think your research is very promising, could you make more?"

"Certainly, it's rather simple to make, but I'll need some time to change the formula for the perfect slice."

"Keep it the same, I think this is the beginning of a great relationship. What's your name by the way?"

"Leo, Leo of Spree."

* * *

Lo was actual finding the netherworld to her liking, it was warm, reasonable bright, and it was quiet in her own quarters, something she'd not experienced since she was eight. When she'd arrived at the burrows she'd found Fengir surrounded by other wolfs, some of them with fresh bites and scratch marks, but it was obvious that he had ended up as the , what was it Parcid had called it again, Alpha. Either way, when the other wolfs had started growling at her, her wolf had put them in their place with his own.

She was at the forge now, molten steel boiled I'm the large forge and Giblet was happy to be working again, he may have disliked making the chainmail armour that Lilith requested be made, it wasn't bulky enough and not enough metal spikes, but it was work none the less. He finished just as the platform landed, placing it on an armour rack that was slightly out of sight as Gnarl had told him to do a couple of hours before the Girl had woken up.

"And this is the foundations, where armour and weapons are made." Gnarl said, leading Lo to the other minion and introducing them before directing Lo to the two sets of armour. Just as he was about to speak, there was a flap of leathery wings as Lilith landed next to Gnarl.

"The Prophet is waiting for you in the throne room and says he has some explaining to do." The succubus took a pause for a second and started looking around.

"As I was saying before you were interrupted. We also managed to retrieve the Overlord's armour if you would like."

Lo leant to the side slightly and put her hand on her waist. "I'm not wearing that."

"But mistress, it was worn by your father, it is part of your legacy."

Lo tilted her head and a look of annoyance appeared on her. "Gnarl, am I a man?"

"No, mistress."

"Do men and women have exactly the same physical characteristics? "

"No, mistress."

"Another question Gnarl, did my father have breasts?"

Gnarl's jaw dropped slightly before he regained his composure. "No, mistress."

"So, what are the chances that I'd be able to wear it comfortably?"

"Very low, mistress."

"So, why would you make me wear it."

Gnarl gave a slight sigh, one thought kept on going through his head, do not mention how much like her mother she is. He then looked to Lilith who was trying to hide a smug smile, but when she opened her mouth it would be impossible to not notice it in her tone. "He's a traditionalist, you've never been very good at change, have you Gnarl? Unlike him, I understand that you wouldn't want to wear something so, crude."

Giblet gave a screech that was half muffled by his helmet before charging at Lilith with his hammer raised, making a series of other noises that sounded like hisses and growls. Lo tapped her foot and the stone in front of the charging brown formed into a small wall, making him fall back with a slight thud. He gave a rude gesture to Lilith before walking back towards the anvil.

"I'm sorry Giblet, I was talking about the design, not the craftsminionship." Giblet seemed happy at this, Lo could swear he was smiling beneath the metal mask. "I had him craft some armour that is more suited to your needs. Now Giblet, where did you hide the armour so the new overlord would think she only had one option?"

Giblet moved to the armour rack and dragged it in front of Lo. The only words she could use to describe it was perfect for her. Most of it was a silvery chainmail, metal plates were laid upon the outside of the arm and bound with leather straps, a similar treatment was given to the front and side of her legs, further up was a skirt made out of metal scales that stopped just above the knee.

Next was the chest piece, it was similar to the skirt, small overlapping scales covered her stomach but a more solid metal plate covered the upper half of her abdomen. "That, is much, much better."

Giblet started bouncing on his toes slightly. "Chainmail, metal it made from very light, but soft as well, not very good at blocking arrows but should deal with glancing blows, the plates made of same metal but mixed with a few others, not as light, but much tougher. Helmet not finished yet, bat lady say it should be special."

"I took some measurements while you were resting so it should be a perfect fit, what do you think, your ladyship?"

"It's beautiful, but being called your ladyship by a queen seems slightly off."

"You always had trouble keeping your mouth shut, didn't you Gnarl?"

"Have the armour sent to the private quarters, I'll go speak to our new guest."

* * *

_Longer chapter than usual, the next few should start to explain a few things explain a few things._


	21. Chapter 20 - The end of the beginning

The black platform locked into place before Lo stepped off it. She was wondering why she had acted that way towards Gnarl, it wasn't like her at all. She may have had her odd moments, but never something like that. When she entered the throne room The Prophet was stood in the centre, examining a vial full of dirt in one hand and one filled with a glowing blue liquid in the other. He unscrewed the cap and poured the grey earth into his palm, and squeezed. Lo tilted her head slightly and gave a confused look, what was he up to? When he opened his hand the dirt was gone, and he seemed to become a few years younger.

"What did you do?"

The Prophet turned to her and took a deep breath. "I absorbed the energy from it, totally useless now."

"How?"

"I'll tell you my story if you tell me yours."

"I already told you."

"I want it uncensored this time."

"You first."

"I believe you should go first."

"Your in my territory with no way of escape, surrounded by my forces."

The Prophet walked forward and put his hand on her shoulder. "It's not just dirt I can drain power from." Lo could feel the energy being sapped from her, surprisingly slowly. The Prophet seemed much happier, acting as if he was having a feast. She quickly drove her knee into his gut, slapped him, and then a bolt of light left her hand and hit him in the chest, sending him flying across the room and then sliding along the floor into the foot of the throne.

"You seem to be a little slow."

The Prophet gave a laugh before pulling himself up, clutching his ribs as blood spilled out of his mouth, after a few seconds, any sign of injury disappeared from his body. "No I'm not, you create too much magic, that's why you glow, otherwise you'd burn out. Same premises as the liquid."

"Thank you for that lovely bit of knowledge. Now, give me a reason not to kill you."

"I can help you, if your the overlord you'll want to conquer."

"What makes you think I want to take over the world? What if I just want to sit down here?"

"The same reason I drain magic, because I'm meant to, I drink, therefore I am."

"Where was the insane wise man that was with me in the wasteland."

"He's still in here, just a few others are awake as well."

"What do you mean?"

"That's where the story comes in."

"Then you better start explaining."

"Do you know of the nordbergian abominations?"

"So they have those creatures up north."

"No, much more dangerous, much more refined. We were exposed pure magic over a prolonged period, weeks locked away in a cell with ten others. Slowly we all became one, ten minds sharing a single body. But we became dependant on the magic to keep us stable, without it, our minds shut down one at a time till there's only one of us left. But with the new energy, all our minds are open again, and we see all paths."

"All paths to what?"

"To granting our brothers the peace they deserve."

"And which path is most likely?"

"The one where you lead."

* * *

The Huntsman looked at Everlight, the jungle looked so green, so tall. He'd grown up in Nordberg, a place where the trees were all pine and not leafy. He did spend some time away from the north during the war, tracking and killing high priority targets, blocking supply chains, scouting. But he'd never seen so many trees before, so much green and brown, and so much warmth. It was boiling here, if he'd been wearing his mask he swore it would have melted into his face.

He had taken a boat to find others of his kind, to tell them that there was going to be a meeting. They all wanted to stop running, to be safe. He knew some had families, they needed to be safe as well, and Parcid thought that the king might give them what they wanted. The Huntsman disagreed. The King wouldn't give them their safety. They would be registered, names, homes, friends and family. Then, just as they'd done there work, they would be removed. Even if he tried, he wouldn't be able to. Years of being stigmatised by the Paladins had made it impossible to be seen as normal.

When he stepped off the ramp he was instantly hit by new smells and sights and sounds. He didn't like it here, every sense was too crowded. Sight was blocked by people, sound by those people shouting and the chattering of insects, and any sense of smell was blocked by spices being sold at the stalls. So much noise. How could the people stand to live here?

He felt light headed, every single sense was being drowned. There was just too much. He couldn't focused, seeing where he was going was like finding a needle in a haystack that had been painted silver. He ended up stumbling through the crowd, some saying to him that it was a bit early for drinking. When someone tried to help him he instinctively pushed them away. He needed to find somewhere quiet, away from all the sounds and sights and smells.

He stumbled around for fifteen minutes until he found a dark alley away from the market with less people. He slumped against a wall, putting his head into his hands. There was still noise. His clothes had absorbed the smell of spice and the thud of boots came from every direction. He needed to focus, to block out the things he didn't need. Spice, shouting merchants, the smell of the jungle, insects, anything that was driving him to the brink of madness. He sat in silence, taking deep breaths.

Armoured boots, drinks being poured, bread being baked across the street. How could anyone stand this? Everything, but nothing clear, like solving a jigsaw where the corner pieces have an edge that looks like it could connect as well.

"Can you feel that?" A voice said from around the corner.

"There's something nearby," there was a slight pause followed by the sound of sniffing, "seems like abomination."

_Shit. Armoured boots_. Why did he try to zone those out? He pulled himself up and his work was undone. Blocking senses temporarily was different from permanently and he felt everything hit him again. Metal against stone moving closer, his own deep breathing as he attempted to hide. It was futile. He could hear them next to him, then nothing. He felt something hit him on the back of his head, then the world went black.

* * *

The bath was huge, more like a pool. Fountains in the shape of blue minions let out a constant stream of hot water. It turned out heaven for Lo was ruling hell with a bath. Not only was it wide enough for her to swim lengths, but it was deep enough that her toes didn't touch the bottom. It reminded her of the one time she'd been allowed to swim in the sea at Everlight. It had been Lo, her mother and a few guards.

She'd made peace with her mothers death a long time ago. It had been eight years ago that she'd heard that her mother had been killed by the same thing that had forced her to leave. The college had sent a letter home asking if it would be suitable for her to return for the funeral. Her father hadn't even sent a reply.

The master at the college said that he probably didn't get the letter. Lo disagreed. Looking back at it, she realised she had the most screwed up family tree ever. She was going to have to ask someone where the overlords came from. Gnarl seemed old enough to know, and if he didn't she'd ask if there was an older minion than him. And if he didn't know then she would look in the library. If there was nothing there then, well she didn't t know what she would do.

After getting dressed she decided to find Gnarl, to ask him where his kind came from, and where he got the dress from. She was certain it wasn't one of Lilith's, she was to tall for it to be hers. Maybe her father had a few other female guests and it used to belong to one of them, or it may have been her mothers. Lo shuddered at the thought.

* * *

No one was willing to tell her anything. She'd asked Quaver, she'd asked Gnarl, she'd asked Morg, none of them seemed to know anything. She had the feeling Gnarl was hiding something, so she'd ended up in the library.

She felt something she'd only felt once before, the first time she wandered into the darkness. She felt like she was at home, when she was little she thought the estate in Everlight was her home, but she now she realised she merely felt attached to the place.

She flicked through the pages of the book, nothing. Not even a hint of where the creatures came from. She was almost about to give up.

"The first being to be named Overlord was Lord Gromard, but before him was the Black Baron, and his father, and his father, and before them there was the Man In The Shadows, and before him He Who Walks In The Night, and before him The Wandering Dark. While the title of Overlord has only existed for the past four generations, the evil it embodies has existed for time beyond any memory, if not time immemorial." Lo gave a dissatisfied huff, before slamming the book shut.

"What are you looking for?" Lilith's voice made Lo half jump out of her chair.

"Nothing. Just trying to find out where the Overlord came from."

"Any luck?"

"I have a list of names, and a note saying that the men in question have existed for longer than anyone cares to remember."

"My people have a myth about it, if your interested."

"If it gets me any further than this, certainly."

"There was once a great monster, or wizard or trickster or demon, no one is certain. It committed a crime that angered the gods so much that they banished it to the deepest hell, but before it was sent away a curse was laid upon the land, and so the minions were created. The monsters laid siege to the land and almost tore the world apart. But the gods gifted the remaining races.

They gave them stones that would allow them to controlled the minions, and the land returned to normal. Until someone abused the power of the stones, and so the land was plunged into darkness once again. Then a group of heroes came along and defeated him, but not before he had a single child.

With the stones stored away and the minions culled. The child was thought to be harmless, until he came of age. Hid father's powers passed through his blood. And the darkness returned once again."

"Until another group of heroes appeared?" Lilith nodded. "It's like a cycle, Overlord, heroes, Overlord, heroes. When does it end?"

"When the Overlord no longer exists."

"So, someday, a group of people will come along and kill me."

"I would say old age could finish an Overlord, but your blood favours your mother so you'll likely be immortal in that aspect."

"What do you mean likely?"

Lilith moved over to a bookshelf and pulled out a slim tome. "There have been a few records of half breeds. Most live for an extra half life of a human, but with those they looked human. You fit into a rarer group that will stop ageing after somewhere between twenty one and thirty."

"So, the only way this ends is with my death."

"Then a new Overlord will come along."

Lo paused for a second before smiling slightly. "But what if they didn't know I was the Overlord? Could I have, a stand in? Someone who when I'm done will take the fall?"

"I suppose, your condition is rather unique so it is your choice. But where would you find someone?"

Lo started walking slowly from the library. "The person would need to be male, good at combat, seem mildly insane yet calculating, and seem unnatural."

"And who where are you going to find someone?"

"Would you say that the Overlor..., my father's armour would fit The Prophet?"

"So, you've found your scapegoat."

"And I think I know our first target. Time to go see my father."

* * *

_N/A So the first part of the story's done. Sorry it took a while to get an update out._


	22. Chapter 21 - Monsters

Lo gave Fengir a light pat on the back, he seemed very interested in the jungle and his nose was pressed to the ground. She however, was less interested. Her armour was amazing, it was strangely light from metal, and the helmet was different from what she,'d been expecting. It looked like some sort of bird she hadn't seen before, with a long hooked beak. When she'd asked Lilith she said it was a falcon, Lo had zoned out after that as it reminded her of the tutors she had when she was little, she caught something about it being symbolic but that just made her ignore her even more, Lo did not see the point in symbolism.

"When does that attack start? We are becoming impatient." The Prophet huffed.

That was another thing Lo found confusing. The man had become difficult to predict, or the men in his head had. He had described his condition like having voices in his head, but instead of voices more like other heads. It was annoying, also the fact that he had started to referring to himself as 'we'.

"Not yet, the reds are still getting into position. Do you know what one of Everlight's main exports is?"

"Fruit, alcohol, exotic animals."

"Some of Lilith's girls managed to get hold of the shipping schedule. There's a large shipment of wine leaving for the mainland, if I remember correctly it burns with a bit of effort. There also making sure no one's on board."

"Waste of resources, you don't spread butter with a sword."

Lo let out an involuntary snarl. "We are not to harm the towns people, soldiers only."

"This is war, there will always be collateral damage. We've fought in one and have seen what people do under siege."

"This isn't a siege. The minions, and you, will do as I say. I am giving the orders, and you will follow them."

"Yet we're the one wearing the armour of the Overlord."

"And I'm the one who can tear your body apart with a single gesture. Now, be quiet, the show's going to begin."

The was a hollow silence, then it happened. A column of fire leapt out of a boat that rested at the docks and then spread to the others, the reflected flames dancing along true water.

"Now, we attack." Lo gave Fengir a slap on the back and he started to move forward slowly, then increasing in speed to a full on run, followed by a group of browns on wolfs and reds on salamanders, while a group of greens moved in on the opposite size town, cutting the throat of any guards looking to the burning docks.

The Prophet had been given a horse, apparently some greens had stolen it and intended to cook it but Gnarl had stepped in. She wondered what made him rise above the minions. There was no proof he was the smartest, both Morg and Quaver could speak. He wasn't the oldest, she'd been shown a minion called Mortis and she couldn't work out what he used to be and when she asked he gave a one word reply. Young.

It was a weird feeling for Lo to not to have a bow, but she found spells did seem to be working just as well. First she tried fire, but the smell and screams put her off, she then tried frost but seeing their faces frozen in horror, she just couldn't do it. In the end she settled for the lighting which her father had used, but in a much more concentrated form that left only ash.

The Prophet was different, his strikes seemed to purely designed to torment his target, taking them apart one slice at a time.

"What were you saying about efficiency?" She yelled over the sound of a group of browns who had ripped the helmet from his soldiers head and were currently using it to destroy his skull, before moving onto another guard.

"This is a massacre, efficiency is not involved."

She was going to deal with him later, but now, she needed to secure the garrison, it would work as a base of operations for now.

* * *

It was silent in the cold, dark room. So peaceful, so noiseless. The Huntsman had never known such stillness since before his transformation. Then the fighting had started. Metal clashing, smoke, blood, burning flesh. It was most likely bandits, but then he smelled something he recognised from years ago. A smell that made fear jolt through his entire body.

How could it be here? What was it doing? Was it possible that it knew he was in there? Had it come to feed? Then the smell of his own fear flooded his senses.

"Let me out." He started hammering against the metal door, hitting it until his hand started to bleed slightly. "You need my help, we have to fight it off. It will kill us all. Let me out."

There was no reply. Armoured boots, two pairs, metal against stone, the sound moving closer and closer, but there was something else. Another clicking noise that was slightly familiar. Claws against the flaw. And another noise, cheering, laughing. The monster had some new friends. "At least give me my weapons so I can die fighting."

He heard a slow screech as the first bolt slid away from the door, then the second, then the third. He started scrambling around the cell, looking for anything he could use as an improvised weapon. He ended up finding a small piece of wood trying to hold it in one hand but it was too stubby.

There was a slow creak as the door was pushed open. "You're not very grateful for someone who's cell's has just been unlocked."

The Huntsman was blinded by the light that came through the door, silhouetting an armoured figure holding a helmet in one arm, and his bow in the other. "I know what's out there."

"And what might that be?"

"A monster."

Lo gave a slight gulp, she felt as if her idea had fallen before it'd even started."How did you know?"

"I know that smell, I could recognise it a mile off."

"So, that's my cover blown."

"What?" He had no idea what she was talking about, her smell was totally new.

"You weren't talking about me?"

"'No, your smell is new, it is my older brother that I'm talking about."

Lo looked around slowly. "And who might that be?"

"The Cannibal."

"There's only me and you here."

"Lie. I remember the sound of minions from when I fought beside them, I know my brothers stench, and I know there is an animal as well."

Lo looked around, he was right. "How do you know that?"

"My name's The Huntsman, it doesn't matter how I know, we just need to kill it." The Huntsman stepped forward, and for the first time she could see him clearly. He looked to be in his late forties, his hair was staring to go grey on his temples and wrinkles dotted his face. He rolled up his sleeve, showing the tattoo on his arm. "The marking, he has it."

She slowly turned to The Prophet who was still in the Overlord armour. "Anything you'd like to tell me?"

"No."

The Huntsman slowly pulled himself out the cell, trying to grab his bow out of the elf's hand. "I'll take my weapon back."

"You mean my weapon, there's a half rotting one in the Wasteland, at least that's where I left it."

He moved down the corridor, taking a key from a corpses neck and opening the chest that his belongings were being kept, quickly putting his mask on and grabbing his sword.

"So, this is new."

"What do you mean?"

"A Overlord that is female, as well as an elf."

Lo shook her head and hands. "Oh, I'm not the Overlord, that's him."

"The Cannibal existed at the time of the last leader of the minions, only when one passes to the realm of the dead can a new one appear."

"How old is The Prophet or Cannibal or whatever?"

"It is over fifty, it drains magic from any source it can find and rejuvenates itself."

"Why do you call him an it?"

"Monsters aren't people, and all my senses are telling me to kill it or run."

"Then what's stopping you?"

"My head, if I run you'll kill me for knowing what you are, you're obviously working with him, or for him."

"Prophet, go to the port, make sure no boats are trying to leave." The man gave a nod before walking away, his boots clanging against the floor. "We have an arrangement.'

"He does what you tell him and he gets?"

"He says he wants your kind to be free."

"And how does he think that'll happen?"

"By placing me on the throne."

"I suppose I share his goal, and for once agree with his means."

"We'll discuss this later, right now though I want the rest of the town secure."

"A name would be useful."

"Lo, Lo Crasius."

"So you're fathers the lord of this place."

"I've not seen the man for eight years, he isn't my father."

* * *

Gnarl was happy. The girl actually had a very sound tactical mind and The Prophet was performing well, using an old mace that the Overlord had wielded before he died. But there was a problem. As soon as those who signed the missive were dead, she'd leave, the abomination would take the fall and she would return to the world of men. Although, the idea of using a decoy could work for them, if The Prophet was told what was going to happen he might be willing to join their cause.

Then there was the other one the girl had picked up, both of them were far too trusting. He didn't know her motives and had joined her. And she didn't know his actual name, although they didn't know The Cannibal's real name either, and he was the figure head for the invasion.

"We need to get her permanently invested." Lilith commented, interrupting Gnarl's Chaim of thought.

"And how would you suggest we do that?" Morg asked, drumming a slimy hand on the table before taking a sip from his cup.

"She's already got the qualities for an Overlord, willing to kill, strong with magic, and she has to win fully, no compromises."

"Yet again, what would you suggest?"

"We need to find something to exploit, something she does naturally."

"She wants to remain on the moral high ground." Gnarl stated.

"What if we made it so a group of people were being threatened by the kingdom, she would try to save them, she'd feel as if she was doing the right and might see us in a better light."

"So we just need someone vicious with power."

"Oh, if only we knew a lord, who was so brutal that he cut a child's eye out."

"You're actually suggesting the girl's father?"

Lilith gave a nod. "We know the tactics he used in the war. Effective, but shunned by all other lords, that why he was given the coast of Everlight, enough to be a reward but still a relatively small amount compared to the others."

Gnarl stood up. He was, in many ways, a traditionalist. Back in the good old days if someone didn't want to be Overlord you'd kill them and wait eighteen or so years. But then the cycle started to slow down. Instead of him being born near instantaneously, it would take a few months, then an extra year. The cycle was weak enough to produce a female overlord, weak enough to be broken. And his return would destroy it.

* * *

_A/N Sorry it's been a while since I've updated, the voices in my head wouldn't let me write this till I made a start on a different story. That was a joke by the way I'm not actually insane, at least that's what the voices tell me ;)._


	23. Chapter 22 - Omissions

"We have our orders men," the sergeant whispered, slowly drawing his blade.

"But, sir. Aren't we meant to be protecting these people?" One of his men asked.

"We protect the land, and unfortunately the best way is to deny resources to the enemy, and decrease the strain on our own. Only one survivor managed to get away to inform the rest of us, the Overlord's minions are spawned from the life force of those he slays. Kill any man that cannot, or will not wield a weapon, anyone over the age of sixty as well." And with those final words the massacre began.

* * *

Khalenhad leaned against the doorway. He hadn't forgotten what had led him to the elves, and then there was a whole new set of questions ready. The king hadn't been told about the Overlord stealing the possible future queen of the elves, surely that would motivate everyone to get her back more if they'd been informed. Oberon wouldn't give him any answers, he knew that much. But he knew someone who thought they were cleverer than they were and was likely to slip up.

"Mirah." He said, giving a slight nod before following her as she walked out of the guest wing of the castle.

"What do you want halfbreed." Mirah hissed.

"I need to know a few things."

"You don't _need_ to know anything apart from to drink, eat and where the bathroom is."

"Fine, I want to know a few things."

"If you learned anything else your head might explode."

"Fine then, I'll just point out a few obvious things that no one else seems to have noticed."

The elf stopped and turned to face the paladin, fighting the urge to go for her sword. "And what might that be?" She said through gritted teeth.

Khalenhad gave a slight smile at her annoyance. "How about the king falling I'll just as your people arrive? Or how you said there was another group of your people coming but there's been no sign? I think the first one has the most effect, don't you?"

There was a slight growl from Mirah. "We had nothing to do with that."

"Now, I don't know that, and I don't think the king would see it that way."

She took a slight pause before starting to smile as well. "Your people perceive what they want to. All of them apart from you want to see us as morally incorruptible, what makes you think they'll stop just because of you?"

"What makes you think they won't?"

"Your people are naive."

"And yours arrogant. All I want is the truth."

"The truth is different to everyone."

"No, the truth is always the same, people's perception of it is what changes,"

"Why not ask Oberon then? Surely he would be more likely to talk."

"Talking is different to telling the truth."

Mirah started walking again, heading for the castle training grounds. "The truth, so many sides to it. Do you know what the third Overlord did to the village of Spree?"

"History does not remember small villages."

"Oh, but only by looking at all sides of the truth can you know it. He gave them their food back, it had been stolen by the fallen hero, Melvin Underbelly, formerly known as Melvin the small."

"And your point is?"

"I haven't made it yet. The city that we're standing now, do you know what he did here?"

"He tore it apart, killing citizens and destroying buildings."

"Wrong. It was during an attack by the Kahn the warrior that the city was ravaged."

"So?"

"Next, Evernight, tell what your history books say?"

"He attacked the elves, taking slaves and unleashing monsters."

"Both wrong, the dwarfs attackers the elves under the command of Goldo Golderson, another fallen hero, the monsters were caused by the Oberon , and you'll never guess what he was."

"Another, fallen hero." Khalenhad sighed.

"And what do you think of the truth now?"

"You could be lying to me, I don't know if you told me anything that's correct."

"Fine then, go check your little history books, and bet all of them will tell the story the exact same way, using the exact same words, they only show the truth the king wants you to see."

"And your people let you learn these things?"

"Why wouldn't they, we aren't cattle waiting to be slaughtered, it is our own choices that we make, not the one others choose for us."

"Then why haven't your people joined the Overlord?"

"Why haven't yours?"

"We'd rather die fighting than live as slaves."

"My people actually believe that and don't just say it."

* * *

Ash and bone and charred flesh lined the spot that Lo recognised as the town at the crossroads in the jungle. She could see the buildings in the spot where they used to stand and the blackened planks that now lay in their places. They'd seen the glow on the horizon yesterday but thought nothing of it, but this, this?

"What happened here?" She half whispered.

"_You're father" _Lo heard Lilith's voice ring through her helmet, _"it was a common tactic of his during the war. To fight a fire in the jungle you cut off its fuel, since minions come from life force, he sees it as necessary."_

_"_Who would have been killed?"

_"Anyone too old to wield a sword, or those that won't, and possibly those too young."_

"Why?"

"_I just told you."_

"I mean why is that bastard allowed to live in a estate while the people who I was supposed to rule signed my death warrant, and I was then sent to a living hell. I know people say the gods are cruel but at some point they just take a joke way too far."

"_Your ladyship," _Gnarl said politely, _"if there's one thing you should learn is that there are no gods, only demons."_

"I want to get way from here as soon as possible, I want to get this over and done with."

* * *

Emily drew her hood up before walking out of her room, she disliked the fact that she was having to sneak at night. She hated the secrecy, or more that secrets were being kept from her, but the girl had been right. She wasn't a noble, she knew that, but there was a certain arrogance to her, Emily didn't like people who were arrogant, herself not included of course. She had liked Lo, she was certainly right about the heeled shoes, compared to the more comfortable ones she was wearing now, they were hell, and she liked the lack of clicking.

It took her about five minutes to find her way to the kitchen, and another two to walk to the stables where she was supposed to meet her contact. She was on time as usual. Her guest was a girl with dark hair, slightly older than herself and always wore white. It was strange that someone who was supposed to be skulking about to be wearing such a distinctive colour in the darkness.

"Your ladyship," her guest said, giving a slight courtesy, " it is wonderful to see you again, I trust your brother has returned to court easily."

"Cut the crap. I want to know how you knew what he'd do, and who you are."

"Very direct for a royal, not very polite either."

"I don't care what you think, I want to know who told you this."

"As expected, follow me please."

"Can't you just tell me here."

"I can't, we need to meet her."

"Who?"

"Just follow me."

Emily bit her lip before following the girl. "A name would be nice."

"My name is Velvet."

There was a silence between them until they arrived in The Commons, a seedier area of the city. After that they went down a series of streets and alleys, winding and twisting for what seemed like an eternity, but Emily had only counted a few minutes. _Left, left, right, straight, left._ Emily thought, recalling the directions she'd taken in case she needed to find a way out.

It was when the girl walked to a barred door about four and a half foot high that led into gave a huff as the girl unlocked the door and gestured for her to step inside.

"Now, you must be careful, she is rather old and can be a bit paranoid at times."

"Who?"

Velvet led the royal to yet another door, this one made of darkened wood with a silver knob in the shape of a minion's head. She knocked on it two times before opening it and walking inside.

"Grandama, I've brought her to you."

It surprised Emily that the room was well furnished, a large be resting in the corner with an elderly lady lying in it. "Sit her down, get her something to drink."

"Yes, Grandma."

Emily was given an uncomfortable wooden stool which she thought was highly unsuitable for someone of her position. "What's going on here, who are you?"

"My granddaughter is named after me, so that's my name sorted out, but there is a long story to go."

"Give me a quick summary."

"My sister was the third Overlord's mistress and mother of the fourth."

Emily was surprised by both the woman's bluntness and the statement she had said. "And who is your sister?"

"Your godmother, you may not have met her for a while, her name's Rose, she should be returning to the capital soon enough."

"Okay, slow down."

* * *

Lo, The Prophet, The Huntsman looked at the fort. It was a building of grey stone with all trees cut a hundred yards from all sides and several groups of archers patrolled the wall. It was well designed. Apparently her father had become more paranoid since the death of her mother, and the gates seemed to reinforce this as they had large iron bars across them. She'd left Fengir back at the garrison, he'd been hurt in the fight for the town by a few arrows, and he disliked the heat here even more than Heaven's Peak, but Lo admitted that in her armour the heat was sweltering.

"Are you sure this will work?" The Huntsman asked.

"According to him it should." Lo replied, pointing to the other abomination before taking out a vial of blue liquid. "If he's right, then if I can change how this releases its energy."

"Have you ever done anything like this before."

"I don't think anyone has." She squeezed her eye's shut and the light from the fluid slowly faded. "How good's your shot?"

The huntsman grabbed the vial and tied it to an arrow then drew his bow. "Adjust for wind and extra weight. Where do you want it to go?"

"Try the wall."

There was a slight twang as he let go of the string and it sailed through the air before hitting just below the wall. Then nothing. "You shouldn't trust The Cannibal."

"Wait." The other man's voice rang through his helmet. It took fifteen seconds until there was a blinding pure light, then when they looked back, the wall was still there.

"I told you."

Lo slapped her hands together before giving nodding towards the gate. "Looks like we're doing this the old fashioned way. Prophet, you're going to be leading the charge, I'll try and bring down the gate before following and keeping control of the minions in the middle, Huntsman, you and the reds are going to try and keep the archers pinned down. Everyone understand?"

There was a nod between the three of them and they moved into place. The attack began as The Huntsman released an arrow, hitting one of the patrolling guards in the head and causing his partner to start shouting before he received a similar treatment.. Lo took a deep breath as a huge block of ice began to form in the air before her, with another gesture it went into the gate, not breaking but making the wood and iron buckle.

Then they heard the bell, ringing from inside, the signal they were under attack. A large group of guards appeared on the wall, all of them armed with bows and releasing volleys of arrows at The Prophet who was dashing across the open ground, doing his best to duck and weave in the heavy overlord armour.

Then it happened. The vial or blue liquid flared once more, and the ground shook as everything nearby was destroyed.

* * *

_N/A Sorry this chapter jumps around a bit, OK a lot, but the next chapter should be more focused. Sorry it's taken a while to update, but I've currently got a huge case of writers block._


	24. Chapter 23 - Lilith and The Huntsman

Ash drifted slowly from the sky as the wall of the fort crumbled. The blast had removed most of the wall and sent rubble flying in all directions, disintegrating the closest part of the wall, and taken about a third off the connecting walls. The Cannibal was unconscious, a group of greens trying to move his armoured form as browns moved to plug the hole in the fort and The Huntsman couldn't see the elf anywhere. The Cannibal had been right, and as usual, whenever he was right, there was destruction.

The monster had led the defence of Nordberg, a two month siege where fire rained from the sky and blood flowed like wine. Buildings had been dropped on top of units of soldiers, marching in formation before stone was toppled and killed any beneath. Good men had died, been sacrificed merely to delay the enemy for a few days. It had been a pointless war, the Overlord had been killed. The entire thing was a message of what happened to those who defied the king, a message written in blood.

He took a deep breath before he started firing shots over the minions' heads. Letting loose as many arrows as fast as possible whilst still retaining a degree of accuracy. With each shot he took a deep breath, pausing for a heart beat before letting go. It was a practice rhythm, one that he'd taught to Parcid when the lord's son was just a boy, and he'd taught it to the girl.

It was then he saw the girl. Walking from behind the line of guards, a new bow held to her side, and a look of pure rage on her face. With a single movement black lightning leapt from her entire body and hit all the guards that the browns had been fighting. He watched as their faces contorted and they dropped to their knees, their entire bodies convulsing before turning to ash and charred bone, not even breaking her stride.

It was the most fear inspiring thing he'd ever seen, that such a young girl held so much unrestrained power.

"They will all burn!" Lo screamed, heading into the jungle, the markings on her body letting out a blue light visible through the chainmail armour and her eyes the burning orange that he'd seen on the previous Overlord before hand.

* * *

Lilith, Gnarl and Morg watched as the scrying orb turned pure white before cracking and then totally falling apart.

"What the hell happened?" Lilith demanded, looking as confused as other two.

"I don't know." Gnarl answered, drumming his long fingers on the table.

"I believe the elder abomination may have been correct." Morg added.

"Have Grubby create a tunnel to the fort, I'm going up their personally."

"Are you sure that's wise Lilith? I'm not sure walking onto a battlefield is the safer thing to do."

"We need to make sure she's alive Gnarl, we'll need her alive for him to return."

The brown minion looked over to Morg, expecting him to help convince them succubus. "I agree with her Gnarl, we need her blood, and if she runs off and doesn't come back, then all of our actions will be for naught."

"No, they won't. The Cannibal can continue with the invasion and we can track her down. You two have become attached to her, and that, that is what is putting us at risk."

"Morg, come with me if you want, it Gnarl, if you ever imply my attachment to her, or his loyalty to the Overlord, is putting the the plan at risk, it won't just be the scrying orb that's broken and about to be thrown off the edge."

"A threat from a parasitic species, how terrifying."

"No Gnarl, a threat suggests a chance of it not happening, and I want my reward for all this."

* * *

The Huntsman sniffed the air as The Cannibal was carried down the tunnel and the succubus queen came up. The women in white had informed them of her, and he could remember the smell from when she'd put Parcid to sleep and he and the others had recovered him. He didn't like the smell, it was wrong, unnatural in almost every way conceivable. Too strong. Too sweet. Too perfect. A predator designed to prey on want. He would_ not_ be deceived.

Lilith gave a smile as she walked towards the abomination. Even beneath the mask she could sense the raw hatred and anger he was radiating. It was almost as delicious as the lust people had for her, she was going to have a lot of fun here.

"Hello handsome. I don't think we've met but I have the feeing you know who I am." She said, sauntering towards him till they were less than an arms width apart.

"Piss off whore." The Hunsman spat.

"Aww, don't you play well with others?" Lilith giggled.

"No."

"Not very chatty are you."

"I only 'chat' with those I like."

"Oh, have I done something to offend you? Perhaps I can make it up to you later." The succubus walked closer, placing her hands on her well curved hips and sticking her chest out as much as possible.

"You left a man to die in the snow."

"And who would that be?" She asked innocently

"The lord of Nordberg."

"Which one? The boy or his father? War's so unprofitable in my business, men away from their local brothel, supply lines are so difficult to maintain up north."

"Give me a reason I shouldn't gut you"

"What, can't you take a joke? So much loyalty to a dead man. You're far too serious, maybe we could, relax, together."

The abomination took a step closer than he was comfortable with before placing his dagger to Lilith's stomach that was covered by her wings ,wrapped his hand around her throat and moved his mouth to her ear. "I can either cut your wing, let you bleed out, suffocate you, or snap your neck. If you ever try anything, and I mean anything, one of those will happen to you."

"So aggressive," Lilith started before she felt the pressure on her throat increase, " you think you're the only one who carries a dagger with them."

The Huntsman glanced down before having the back of Lilith's hand hit him in the face and then felt his feet being knocked out from under him. Her corset unfurled into a set of large, bat-like, wings before she knelt with one leg on either side of his chest. "Get off, whore."

She drove the spiked tip of her wing into the ground less than an inch from the abomination's head, the other against his throat. "We could have so much fun like this."

"Lilith, stop playing with your food." Morg Chided, pulling himself out of the hole with Grubby next to him. "We have another matter to tend to."

"Too bad." She cooed, slowly pulling herself up before her wings returned to their normal place. "We'll have to continue this later."

"If this happens again there won't be a later date."

"Stop now. While you two were flirting or fighting the girl made a head start. Now we have to find her and there's an entire island to search."

"It's not as if I can search by air." Lilith hissed sarcastically.

The Huntsman shook his head. "The trees provide cover, it wouldn't work."

"This relationship isn't going to work if you keep disagreeing with me." She giggled.

"Whore."

"For you it's free."

"Lilith, either be helpful or be far away." Morg said, returning the venomous glare she was giving him before she let out a huff. "Huntsman, do you think you could track her down."

"Maybe, depends how far she's gone and if she's trying to cover her tracks."

"The scrying orb cut out when the vial exploded, what happened here?" Lilith asked. "If we can work out where she's going, I might be able to head her off."

"She's angry, I doubt she has much idea where's she's going herself. I'll bring her back."

* * *

Lo strode through the jungle, her armoured boots leaving prints that would be easy enough to follow, but she didn't care. She needed to hit something. Something that deserved to be hit. Something that really deserved to be hit. She'd already dealt with a few men hiding in the jungle , thinking that a single girl would be easy prey. One of them had said she was armed but the others hadn't listened. That one had ran. That one survived. She stopped when she came to a ill-kept road that she recognised from when she was younger.

"I know where I am."

She remembered everything that happened here now. The carriage. The bandits. Healing Baristan. That meant that she was near her father's old house. She didn't know why, but she started walking towards the abandoned estate.

* * *

"Where is, the, girl?" The Huntsman asked again, holding his captive, no more than a boy, against a tree. Annoyingly Lilith had decided to come with him and Morg had stayed behind so he couldn't stop her comments..

"I don't know." The bandit shivered.

"Which direction did she go in?"

"I don't know."

"Pick one, north, south, east, west."

"I don't know."

"Huntsman dear," Lilith chirped, placing her hand on his shoulder, "why don't you let me try."

"I don't think that'll work whore."

"I don't mean like that." She gently pushed the abomination out of the way before leaning over to the other man and whispering. "You're going to remember now, or else."

"Or else whaaaa!" The man screamed as Lilith drove the tip of each wing through his wrists, pinning him to the tree before she dragged him further up it.

"Dagger, now." The Huntsman suddenly had newfound respect for the woman, passing her the blade without hesitation. "Left foot, or right."

"Please, I don't know."

"Left it is then."

"Please, I don't know anything." The man suddenly fell silent, suppressing a scream as the woman began to press the blade into his flesh.

"Then you're of no use. Huntsman, see if you can still follow the girl's trail. I'll finish up here."

"I don't take orders from you."

"No, but you know I'm right."

"I would like my dagger back."

"You'll get it back later."

"What is it with you people taking my weapons."

"Just go already."

The Huntsman turned away, hearing the sound of flesh being sliced through and a scream that was quickly silenced.

It took him fifteen minutes for him to get onto the road and the girls scent changed direction, following it up a hill. The house he came to was abandoned, left in a state of disrepair for many years. The whole area was overgrown and plants had started to force their way through the brickwork and the paving along the outside of the house.

He started walking towards the house, following the smell upstairs and into the room second on the left. She'd spent some time in here, looking over things. What the rooms original purpose had been he couldn't tell, but there was a room with a small stone bath attached.

He then followed the smell to the next room. It was definitely a bedroom and there was a large balcony that she had been on as well. When he moved onto the balcony he saw her. A huddled figure in silver sat in front of a piece of stone.

It took him a minuet to walk down and around her, sitting next to her and taking a minute to try and read the faded stone. "So, who's this?"

"My mother, adopted."

There was another lingering silence. "What happened?"

"I don't know, they never told me."

"I meant at the fort."

"I met my father."

"I don't mean to pry, but what happened?" The Huntsman leaned slightly to get a better look at her face, and was half shocked to see that tears were running down her face.

"He didn't recognise me, he didn't know who I was until I told him. When I asked if he regretted his actions he said no. Then he showed he me this." She held the bow that the Huntsman had seen her walking out of the fort with before passing it to him.

"Pale wood, rawhide string, ends are plated. It's a good bow."

"It was supposed to be a wedding present for me."

"Maybe he cared about."

"No he didn't" Lo interrupted, "it was a way of mending a fence so he'd have more influence on me, he'd have given it to me so he could get what he wanted."

"You look a bit young to be getting married."

"It was arranged."

"Who to?"

"Some noble, I lived in his father's hold for a few weeks."

"Why are you doing this girl?"

"Because I'm the Overlord."

"I've lived for the better part of fifty years. I've seen warriors and soldiers and survivors. I've fought one with one conqueror and was sent to assassinate another. You're not one of them. You've got it in you, but you've not had the thing that pushes you beyond breaking point. Until then, you're a leader. So why are you doing this?"

"The person I was supposed to marry, it was the prince, the king thought that if he showed the elves they would be accepted then they'd come out of hiding."

"So you would have been royalty."

Lo nodded. "They were going to kill me."

"Why? Why to all the effort, just to kill you."

"They'd wait until 'an heir was produced and came of age' then they'd get rid of me. The king's advisor thinks that if the ruler can't be killed by natural causes, then either war or assassination will be used. Both leave a hole that the nobles will fight to fill and cause unnecessary bloodshed. But do you want to know the best part? My father signed it."

"I thought you said he wasn't your father."

"You don't choose your father, actual or adopted. I always thought they'd bury her by the sea, my mother I mean. I went there with her a few times and she loved it there. She never told me where she was from but I guess somewhere along the coast of the mainland. Bastard couldn't even get that right. He didn't even have her grave looked after."

"I was wondering where you were." Lilith said, before walking behind the two of them.

"Let's go home. I just need to get away from here for a while."

* * *

_Well, good news people, writer's block has gone (,for this story at least,) so the story should continue at it's usual pace. _


	25. Chapter 24 - The First Deal

It was raining in the capital. Grey clouds pouring water down onto the stone roofs and flowing into the street.

"You think he'll get up soon?" Tristen asked, leaning against a wall with Drez beside him.

"Don't know, since Red was taken prince has been sleeping in later than usual, talking less, more focused on training."

"You want to give him the news about Everlight, or should I?"

"I'll let you give him that bit, never thought she'd actually work for the Overlord."

"I know this is going to make me seem like a bit of a prick, but can I ask you something ?"

"Farm boy, you decided to get in the bed of the person your friend's in love with and future wife. Not much more you can do to seem like a prick."

"Was I that mopy when I got dumped."

"We all leave relationships in our own ways. He's sad, you were self-destructive."

"No I wasn't."

"You started drinking in the morning, apparently that's not the social norm up here."

"Got to admit though, the end was much worse."

"He was poisoned into being aggressive which forced her to be sent away, where she was captured by a monster, and is now killing people. You wanted to to change how your relationship worked.."

"He'd known her for less than a month, we'd been together for years."

"I suppose. Should we wake him up then?" Drez asked, moving to the door but still looking over his shoulder.

"I'm not sure."

* * *

"Should we tell her?" The Huntsman asked, lounging on a chair in the Netherworld. There were several lower levels on the main spire, with him converting a small area into a space for him. Unfortunately, The Cannibal had a similar idea, fortunately on different floors.

"I am unsure, telling the others we are working together could be problematic." His fellow abomination said, standing in front of him.

He took picked up a bottle of wine he'd gotten in Everlight, taking a long sip. "I heard The Beacon when I was travelling to the jungle, unfortunately I couldn't turn the ship around. I spent a month on the boat, and then three days in a cell. The others must be arriving at the site soon."

"The potential benefits out way the loses."

"Then it makes sense to."

"Unless there is an unforeseen variable."

"That's the thing about unforeseen things, you can't see them coming."

* * *

The rain carried on as Khalenhad stood outside of the door to the Baristan's quarters. He noticed something, or more accurately asked about something. He needed to talk. The man was one of King's most loyal men, acting as a personal guard and was only sent to look after the girl because of her importance.

There was the sound of a bolt sliding as the man he was waiting for appeared. "What evidence do you think you've found against the elves now Khalenhad?" Baristan groaned.

"I'm not entirely sure it's to do with them. It's to do with the king falling ill."

"But it somehow incriminates someone?"

"Possibly, it's to do with the poisoner."

"The Butcher's boy."

"Yes, he claimed he was taught by his parents that magic is wrong, that they said the empire was correct. Now the boy was fourteen, the empire fell sixty years ago, assuming his parents grew up under the empire till the age of eighteen, that means they were at least sixty four."

"What about grand parents?"

"I was thought that as well, so I decided to do some digging."

"And what did you find?"

"Nothing, the boy had no known parents, found outside an orphanage when he was just a whelp, no one adopted him and he was only taken in by the butcher two years ago."

Baristan glanced back at him. "When did you learn this?"

"Yesterday. I went to the orphanage and."

"You are to tell no one till we have more evidence, and a precise culprit."

"But if the boy told a lie, then surely someone else must be behind this, and if the King found out."

"And if the King found out, then a witch hunt would take place, with the nobles blaming other nobles and using it as an excuse to fight each other. We cannot have the world turning on itself."

"So, we lie."

"No, we do not tell them the truth, till it is possible for them to know it without turning on each other."

"I dislike this."

"I used to be like you, the war will probably make you more like me. That is not a good thing. Try to hold on to your beliefs. We'll talk about this later, but until then the subject is closed."

"But."

"I said closed."

Khalenhad sighed as Baristan walked away before feeling someone tap on his shoulder. When he turned around he saw Mirah, a look of even more displeasure on her face than usual. "Oberon wishes to speak with you."

"What about?"

"He wouldn't tell me." She said through gritted teeth before turning around.

With little choice but to follow, Khalenhad was lead to the guest wing. It was initially a spare wing that the dwarves were housed before a more permanent building was made to suit them. In the end the dwarves had left the rooms decorated with their own items, and unsurprisingly, they'd redecorated.

Whereas the dwarves had used blue and gold, the elves had gone with mostly green with the odd hint of silver. It was mostly bare. The odd chair or table the only furnishings until they came to a thick wooden door. Mirah tilted her head towards the door and gave a spiteful look. "Go in then."

The paladin was about to knock but found that the door opened before he did. Oberon was sat at a large desk, lent over some papers and his head tilted down, his eyes flying over them. Khalenhad moved over to the opposing chair, sitting down and waiting for the elf to look up.

After a few minuets he made cleared his throat.

"Yes?" Oberon asked, finally looking up.

"You asked me here." He stated.

"And?"

"I'd like to know why."

"Because I have a theoretical opportunity."

"Theoretical opportunity? How can an opportunity be theoretical?"

"Because it may or may not exist."

"I deal in facts, not riddles."

Khalenhad was about to walk out but found that a piece of paper was pushed over to him.

"A wedding invitation? That's it?"

The elf lifted the paper and started to read. "The wedding of the lord of Nordberg to the Second of the Mage's college. Likely to be First of the college if the current's health carries on declining."

"I've met Anise, I don't like her."

"Did she mention that she was a friend of Lo's."

"Yes, she threatened the prince if I remember correctly."

"Anise, as you called her, was her room mate, and the lord raised her from the age of eight till she left. I assume she will try to be at the wedding, or at least the reception."

"And?"

"If she is there, and you help us recover her, I will answer any questions you have."

"Any question?"

"Anything."

"I ask three questions now."

"No questions now."

"Three questions, or no deal." Khalenhad haggled.

"No questions."

"Two questions."

"Zero."

"One?"

"None."

"That's not how haggling works."

"This is not a farmer's stall, you either work with me or not."

''I want insurance."

"You shall have none." Oberon said, his voice remaining at its normal level.

"Then no deal."

"Fine, I have others."

"Wait," Khalenhad interrupted. "Why me?"

"You're like a dog, the only way to stop it chasing something is to give it a bone."

"Thank you for that comparison."

"Make your choice."

Khalenhad took a long pause. "I, will work with you, not for. Are we clear?"

"Perfectly. Now, there is another who I must speak to, so if you would leave."

Khalenhad gave a nod before standing up before taking his leave. Oberon returned to looking at his papers, opening a small leather book and ticking next to the paladins name and looking down at the next two names on his list. He looked over his other papers, making sure a certain set always stayed away from the others.

"Oberon." Emily chirped, giving a slight bow and smile as she walked in.

"You act very well."

"Pardon, me my lord, I don't know what you speak of."

"As you once said 'cut the crap'."

"I apologise my lord, I'm still unaware of what you think I've done."

"Do I need to tell your father about the little network of spies you have."

"I'm really sorry, but I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Mirah." Oberon shouted. "Bring in our guest." There was a short delay before the elf came into the room, half dragging one of the maids. "I believe you know each other."

"I honestly have no idea."

"Then why was she in here, searching through my papers, after one of my men overheard you telling her to do her job."

"I've never seen her before in my life."

Oberon turned his head and gave a nod to Mirah, who drew her knife and pressed it against the girl's throat. "Tell me, what, you know."

The maid glanced between the elf and the princess, her eyes darting between the pair before she gave a gulp. "Nothing sir."

Oberon gave Mirah another nod, who pressed the blade further in. "I, said, tell me."

He looked to Emily as she narrowed her eyes at the girl. "Nothing, sir." She repeated.

"Mirah, let her go."

The other elf gave nod before leaving, just the other two left in the room.

"Most impressive."

"Hypothetically, if I were to know what you were speaking of, why would you contact me?"

"I might have wanted some information, about a person you apparently met."

"And if I told you, then what would I have been given, if I knew what you were talking of?"

"If you refused I would have informed your father."

"My little brother had a similar strategy when he was little. Then what if I did know and had told you?""

"Considering that this is all hypothetical, I don't think telling you would be wise."

* * *

The desert night was surprisingly cold , almost as cold as Nordberg to Lo. She and The Huntsman had emerged from the Netherworld gate and instantly she had been surprised. It was like a great beach that never ended. The sky was empty of clouds and the stars could be seen clearly. The Huntsman was wearing the thick fur armour he normally wore. Lo on the other hand, being told stories of how the desert was hotter than the jungle, was wearing a loose fitting cloak, dirty brown trousers, and had a cloak with the hood drawn up to hide her face.

She leant on Fengir slightly, his wound had healed well. And he seemed to be enjoying the cool wind that he'd been deprived of for the past month and a half.

"Where is this meeting place?" Lo asked, rubbing her hands together for warmth.

"There's a tunnel to the south. An old group of thieves used it beforehand."

"How many of your kind are left?"

"I don't know, the question is how many will side with us. In all honesty there are several I know share my beliefs, mostly those at the siege."

"Why?"

"You don't want to know. The Alchemist will be good addition."

"Can he turn lead into gold? You all seem to be named after something."

"He can turn rock into a metal that is incapable of being acquired any other way."

"Any others?"

"The Golem, The Gambler, The Mist Bringer, The Portal Master, The Dragon, The Shade."

"How many of you are they?"

"Those were at the siege, the others, I do not know."

* * *

_A/N TY for reading, sorry it's been a while since an update but I'm looking forward to writing the next few chapters so they should come out quickly._


	26. Chapter 25 - Bump in the night

It was night in Heaven's Peak. Oberon poured the thick yellow fluid down the princesses throat, hearing her make a slight coughing sound. The coughing soon became choking, so he gave a forceful jab at Emily's stomach, waking her up but clearing her airway.

He slowly wandered to a chair in the corner, leaning forward and putting his hands together.. "We are going to have our conversation again. This time without the lying."

"I honestly don't know anything." Emily insisted, still acting innocently. She started to feel light headed, the world started to blur slightly.

"What did they tell you?" Oberon demanded.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Now the world started to spin. "Wha, what have you done?"

"Several nights ago you and a young women were seen leaving the castle. You then proceeded to The Commons. Yoy are to inform me of where you were taken afterwards."

Emily started spluttering, trying to gasp for air. Her lungs felt as if they were on fire, the burning started extending its way through her body. "Please. Stop it."

"Tell me where you were taken."

"Help. Me. Please." She reached a hand towards him, trying to grab the elf's wrist but her arms suddenly felt limp. For the first time in her life, she truly felt fear.

"Tell me." Oberon commanded again, his voice becoming even more sinister.

"There was a door, The Commons, alley next to Gordon and son bakery. Left, left, right, straight, left." She rolled onto her back and started crying. Her eyes were stinging and every muscle in her body began to coil up.

"Thank you." The elf said. "When you wake up, you won't remember." Was all Emily heard before she collapsed.

Oberon stepped backwards and walked outside, shifting the guards unconscious form slightly.

* * *

Lo looked away from the light at the end of the tunnel. The walk in the half-light produced by her leaving her eyes unaccustomed to the light. She took a deep breath as The Huntsman lead the way into a large cavern, filled with people. About twenty of them wore the iron masks Lo had seen him wear, while a much larger group had their faces visible. The unmasked people looked young, the youngest being fourteen with the oldest being somewhere near twenty five. She'd left Fengir outside, letting him run across the cold sand and warning him not to eat anyone.

"I'm going to talk to some that I know will side with us, be careful until I return." The Huntsman commanded before walking off, leaving Lo. By herself. In a room full of strangers. Most of them armed. And unlike her, not glowing.

She gave a nervous gulp before drawing her hood up and walking to a group that was gathered in one of the corners. It looked to be the closest to her own age. What surprised her most was how normal they looked. Non of them had weird monster faces. She had thought they were trying to hide something but now she wasn't sure.

It seemed that the children had abilities as well. Currently there was a boy with dark brown hair stood in the centre of the group. She watched as he took a deep breath and his skin's texture shifted to form scales and his entire body changed. His back became slightly hunched, his face twisted into a set dragonic features, and his hands and feet changed as well, morphing into talons the tore through his boots. Finishing off his new form was a set of leathery wings that ended in bony points. He gave the wings an experimental flap, taking him slightly off the ground, but bashing his head against the ceiling.

"Can you do anything apart from glowing, or is your power even worse than the rest of the freak show? " Lo slowly turned around, there was a girl stood behind her. She had dark, curly that stopped just below her shoulder and lightly bronzed skin. Her eyes were a dark green, and she had a single freckle below her left one.

Her clothes were well made, designed to attract attention, well one kind of attention attention judging by the neckline. A white low cut blouse paired with a black, leather half corset and dark blue trouser. The elf suddenly felt reminded of Heaven's Peak, when people had been staring at her. At first she liked the attention but then it had worn off.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Can you do anything else or is your power that stupid?" The girl sneered.

"I'm sorry" Lo hissed back, one hand falling to her hip as she prepared a fireball in the other. "But I don't see you doing anything. "

"I'm not one of these freaks."

"Neither am I." Lo almost shouted, quickly apologising when everyone looked at her.

The girl was about to say something back when thy both heard a snorting sound come from the circle. There was a second snort before there was rush of fire coming from the dragon-boy's mouth.

The girl was going to say something but they heard another shout. "Hey, gorgeous, hooded girl, I haven't taken your money yet."

Both of them looked to see a boy about the same age as the elf. He had messy blonde hair, with a fringe that stopped just above his blue eyes. He had a small group of people gathered around him, and a pile of coins to his side.

"You two in or out?" He asked.

Lo was going to walk away before the other girl went to the boy, and she didn't want to stand out. So she followed.

The boy tossed a couple of silver into the centre and began to deal a hand to each of them. The other girl added a pair of coins as well. The mage was at a loss. She didn't have any money.

"Erm."

"The necklace, what's it made of?" He asked, holding his hand out.

Lo drew her hood back before pulling the chain over her head, making sure to put her hair over her ears. "Silver."

"Is this real?" He questioned again. Tapping the green gem set in the front. Lo wasn't certain but nodded before catching the necklace as it was passed back. "You sure you want to bet that?"

The necklace held no sentimental value, it had been given to her by Lilith, as well as some clothes that weren't her mothers. After a few minuets of examining it more closely, Lo added it to the pile.

After that they each picked up their cards, apart from him. Instead he just added a few coins to the pile. Lo gave a quick glance at her own, a king and a queen. She found it ironic.

Instead of looking at his cards, the boy laid four more down. Two aces, a king, and a queen.

"Two pairs."

"A straight." The other girls said, revealing her own cards. She reached for the money in the centre but stopped as the final player flipped over his. Two aces. He quickly swept the coins into the pile and picked up the jewellery, examining it precisely. Lo was surprised when he slid it back over to her.

"Looks better on you, and these look better in my pocket." He added, before stuffing as much money as he could into the various pouches on his trousers and bag next to him.

Lo felt someone tap her shoulder and looked to see The Huntsman, gesturing for her to follow. "I have gathered some others who are willing to join us, but they wish to see proof."

"Of what?"

"That it is the Overlord who's returned, and not an imposter."

"How can I prove that?"

"They want to see the wolf."

She paused for a minute. "Fine. Just let me lead them to her, he tends to be aggressive when I'm not around."

After a brief nod they split up, the abomination heading to a large group that had gathered in one of the far corners while she headed towards the exit tunnel. After a few minutes she came to the exit and whistled, causing Fengir to come bounding down one of the dunes.

"Hello boy." She chirped, giving him a scratch on the ear and watching his eye start to twitch in response. "Sit. Stay. Some people want to see you so no biting. Understand?" She knew he couldn't give an actual response but he tilted his head in an almost questioning way. After that she sat next to him, making a small ball of fire dance between her fingers to keep warm. That, and she was bored.

She'd started using her magic more and more. She wasn't dependant on it, she could still use a bow after all. But with Everlight, she'd realised how much power she had. Idly, she threw the small orb at the sand, watching as a small area turned to glass. She let out a giggle before doing it again, this time with a slightly bigger ball. She carried on until a whole dune began to glint in the moonlight.

"Impressive display." Lo hadn't heard the people come out, too absorbed in her own world.

The Huntsman had come out, followed by a few others. One of them stepped out from the others, wearing a mixture leather and chainmail and a pair of barbed metal whips hanging from his belt, his mask fashioned to be a boar's face.

"Hold the beast still."

Before Lo could reply several others had moved to her wolf, forcing him to the ground. She leg out a blast of lightning to try to stop them but another moved in his way and stopped it.

"He will not be harmed, he is not resisting. It is good." The newcomer said, placing his hand on Fengir's forehead. Both there eyes rolled back and then the beast fell asleep, rolling onto his side and letting off a deep throaty noise. "It is true."

"So, should we go in?" Lo asked.

"No, it might make it awkward." The Huntsman replied. Giving a quick gesture he headed inside followed by the others. She sat next to the sleeping wolf, almost lying over him. She looked to see the boy she'd gambled with earlier talking to a man who, uniquely, wasn't wearing his mask. From the looks of it they were having a small argument.

She took a small book from somewhere within her cloak, a thin time bound in dusty leather from the library. She'd found many books in there she'd never heard of, most of them contain knowledge that others had forgotten. After a few minutes she heard a huff and saw the man head onside while the other started to walk towards her.

"So," he began, slightly awkward, "what's your name?"

Lo just sat there in silence before he nudged him slightly.

"Come on."

No reply.

After a while he sighed and took one of his coins out of the bag. "Heads, you tell me, tales you don't." He tossed the piece of silver into the air, not noticing as she moved her hand. The coin froze in mid air, staying in place. After a second it started spinning, twisting and turning before shifting above the elf and dropping into her palm. The boy leaned and looked at what she'd caught.

"Heads." After a brief second she looked down before making a fist. Her companion was forced to look away as a searing light broke between her knuckles and she cast the remnants away. "What was that for?"

"Lo, my name's Lo."

"I'm Seb, but most people call me lucky."

"Shouldn't a nickname be shorter than your actual one."

"Shorter than Sebastian. Lo short for anything."

"No." Lo was tired, she couldn't be bothered with this. She just wanted to this over with.

"You normally this quiet?"

"No. Do you normally talk this much?"

"Normally, the other person talks back. Means I don't have to talk as much. So, you're not exactly one of us, are you."

That finally got her attention. "Why would you think that?" She asked, closing her book.

"Melisa told me."

"Who's that?"

"The other girl. Beautiful face; soft eyes; gifted chest."

"You could have left it at the first sentence."

"Sorry, I'd compliment you more, but you're wearing a cloak so I can't really see what's underneath."

"Do you want to know what's underneath?" Lo froze. Had she just said that. "Not like that" she added, frantically shaking her hands, " I mean, I don't wear clothes like this normally."

"What, silk dresses then?" Seb chuckled before noticing that she had started to noble on her lip. "Really? So, the Overlord pays well then."

"I don't know really. I was given them." She replied before seeing torchlight come from the tunnel. After a brief moment she watched as the group emerged. There was at least forty of them, about half wearing the masks marking them as the originals, but the rest were either her own age or above.

Lo gave a brief smile as The Huntsman returned to her side, and they began walking to the tunnel. Fengir had to be carried.

* * *

_A/N Sorry it's take so long to get out a new chapter. Between exams, coursework, and plot bunnies that wouldn't go away till I'd written the basic ideas, then procrastinating. Hopefully the next chapter should be out sooner. TY for reading._


End file.
